JOHN GRAHAM MLC

SHADOW MINISTER FOR ROADS

JENNY AITCHISON MP

MEMBER FOR MAITLAND

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL TRANSPORT AND ROADS

LABOR’S $19 MILLION PLAN TO UPGRADE & REPAIR

MAITLAND ROADS

NSW Labor will contribute over $19 million for urgent road upgrades emergency road repairs across Maitland after 12 years of neglect by the Liberals and Nationals, compounded by floods and a failure to invest in regional road maintenance.

Labor’s $17.5 million road upgrade package will include:

• $15 million towards planning and early works for the duplication of the Thornton Rail Bridge
• $2.5 million to replace Melville Ford timber bridge

Labor will provide $1.8 million through Labor’s new Emergency Road Repairs Fund to address the road maintenance backlog. This is in addition to the funding included in the Government’s pothole funding announcement from earlier this year. Labor is offering more than double the assistance to councils looking to repair local regional roads.

In 2019, the Liberals and Nationals promised to reclassify and transfer up to 15,000 km of roads to help lift the burden on Councils. Despite being the Government’s signature regional roads commitment in 2019, it remains unfulfilled - and in the last four years has transferred a total of zero kilometres of regional roads.

Maitland City Council had requested a number of roads including Metford Road and Buchanan Road to be reclassified and transferred to the State, however the requests for transfer had been unsuccessful.

One of the reasons there has been no progress on this signature election commitment is the independent panel report has been sitting on Minister Farraway’s Desk for nearly four months. The Opposition has called for its release. Transport documents show that once commenced the process may take more than eight years.

Mayors and Councillors across the state have expressed extreme frustration at the Government’s broken promise on road reclassifications, demanding action now.

Quotes attributable to Shadow Minister for Roads the Hon John Graham MLC:

“For the last 12 years, the Nationals have overseen billions of dollars of spending on toll roads in Sydney at the expense of roads in the regions.”

“Labor is committed to supporting Councils to fix the local roads that people use every day to get to work, get the kids to school or get to medical appointments. We will prioritise local roads over toll roads.” 

Quotes attributable to Member for Maitland and Shadow Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Jenny Aitchison MP

“Maitland is projected to grow to a population of 144,536 by 2041.  Our roads cannot cope with the more than 90,000 people who use them today. A sixty percent increase will bring our network to a standstill.”

“Labor’s commitment of over $19 million towards key connecting roads will provide much needed cost of living relief for Council and people in the local community by repairing their damaged roads after 12 years of inaction and floods and delivering the roads that are needed to provide the roads our regions need for the future.

“Duplication of the Thornton Rail Bridge started under the former Labor Government, but unfortunately, the Liberals and Nationals have failed to complete it in the last twelve years, even when Robyn Parker was the member as a Minister in the current Government.”

“In 2012 the Liberals and Nationals even lifted the cap on development on the Bridge, meaning that more homes could be built in the Thornton and Chisholm area without them having to even lift a finger in terms of providing the infrastructure we need.”

“Melville Ford is repeatedly under water with the wet weather we have had over the last few years. With the failure of the Government to complete the long promised Singleton Bypass, local residents tell me many more people are using Melville and Maitland Vale Road to get to work, creating more damage.

“Under the Liberals and Nationals, our roads have been constantly at capacity. They have refused to provide real solutions, and at every opportunity have delivered half measures, which in times of flood or other incidents have brought the network to a standstill and created a car park in our local suburbs.

“Labor will act immediately to get Maitland moving again.”