The Entrance dredging at 'a slap in the face' - Tesch
The NSW Government's decision to spend nearly $250,000 to dredge the Entrance Channel is a slap in the face to Peninsula residents, according to the Member for Gosford, Ms Liesl Tesch.
Ms Tesch said the State Government continued to refuse to fund the "increasingly dangerous" Ettalong Channel.
She said it was another disastrous decision by an out-of-touch and out-of-control Liberal Government.
"The Liberal Government has again let down the community and put politics ahead of people," Ms Tesch said.
"In the Gosford electorate, we've had ferry services cancelled, commuters and visitors inconvenienced, and boat captains investigated over ferries becoming stuck on the ever growing sand bar.
"I've tabled petitions, I've asked Questions on Notice to Ministers, and I've made speeches in the Parliament calling on the Government for just this sort of funding in Ettalong, but that has obviously been ignored.
"We've been told over and over by the Liberal State Government that dredging is a matter for local councils and they wouldn't be funding it, so it's clear that the government must have ulterior motives in putting in $225,000 for this project but ignoring the Gosford electorate."
Ms Tesch said the funding announcement was not about solving a dredging issue but about pork barrelling marginal seats.
"Funding dredging in The Entrance Channel over Ettalong is a shameless political decision by a Government struggling to stay in power," Ms Tesch said.
"This is just a desperate attempt to shore up Liberal Party support in a marginal seat ahead of an election due next year where they are facing plummeting community support."
With "the community paying the price for government incompetence", Ms Tesch said it was time to put the forgotten south back on the agenda.
"It's time this government stopped their blatant pork-barrelling and started paying attention to solving real issues in our communities."
SOURCE:
Media release, 16 Jan 2018
Liesl Tesch, Member for Gosford