M5 East Extension
M5 EAST EXTENSION
Mr SOURIS: My question is directed to the Minister for Roads. Is the Minister giving consideration to borrowing as much as $700 million to fund the construction of the M5 East? How will this massive increase in debt reconcile with the Government’s debt reduction strategy, and the Minister’s previous assertions that the M5 East could be funded from within the roads budget?
Mr SCULLY: I have been sitting here for weeks on end trying to get a question on roads, and I am delighted to finally have one.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for North Shore to order. I call the honourable member for North Shore to order for the second time.
Mr SCULLY: The Deputy Leader of the National Party should tell the people of western Sydney what he has been saying internally in his own party. If this crowd gets elected, guess what will happen on the M5 East? A toll! That is what the shadow minister for roads told the Parliament.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Ku-ring-gai to order. I call the honourable member for Ermington to order for the third time. If the Deputy Leader of the National Party interjects again he will be called to order.
Mr SCULLY: These two characters do not talk to each other. The shadow minister for transport now says there will be no toll and the other day the shadow minister for roads said there will be a toll. What is the policy of the Opposition?
[Interruption]
The Premier is right. The Deputy Leader of the National Party has no right to ask me a question about financial management. He is the man who, just for fun, got rid of $50 million on the knock.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Fairfield to order.
Mr SCULLY: The shadow minister for roads has the gall to ask me a question about the financing of the M5 East. He is a financial joke!
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Mr Photios: On a point of order. My point of order relates to relevancy. The issue at hand is whether or not the Government is going to borrow $700 million. Is the answer yes or no?
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Before the Minister continues his answer, I warn the honourable member for Ermington that on a previous occasion he was directed to resume his seat because his point of order had no relevance to standing orders. Standing orders do not allow him to repeat the question. If he continues in that manner he will be removed from the Chamber.
Mr SCULLY: I give an absolute guarantee, on behalf of the Government, to the people of western Sydney that there will be no toll on the M5 East. The people of western Sydney are paying enough and they will not pay any more. A few Cabinet Ministers represent electorates in western Sydney. They will take great pleasure in telling their constituents that the coalition will impose a toll in western Sydney.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Lane Cove to order. I call the honourable member for Ku-ring-gai to order for the second time.
Mr SCULLY: The question is: where is the money coming from? That is a fair question. The project will cost about $600 million and the funding will come from the roads budget over a three-year period. The project will not impact on the roads program. The Deputy Leader of the National Party is the man who has expressed concern to the people of Bardwell Park, Turrella and Arncliffe. The honourable member for Rockdale has been a champion for the people of Bardwell Park and Arncliffe.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Northcott to order.
Mr SCULLY: The honourable member for Rockdale is a hero to the people of Bardwell Park.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Northcott to order for the second time.
Mr SCULLY: The shadow minister for roads should be telling the people of Arncliffe and Bardwell Park that the Government has made substantial amendments to the M5 East because of the representations from people such as the honourable member for Rockdale, the honourable member for Canterbury and the honourable member for Hurstville.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Gosford to order. I call the honourable member for Oxley to order.
Mr SCULLY: The coalition’s solution to the three stacks to one, to going under King Georges Road, to providing east-bound access off Kingsgrove Road, and to providing a property guarantee to those who live above the tunnel is to provide a toll and to tell the people of New South Wales the M5 East cannot be funded without the imposition of a toll. This is an important road network. The shadow minister for roads talked about his understanding of the Sydney orbital network. I see the honourable member for Bligh, a great supporter of the Eastern Distributor, in the Chamber. The Eastern Distributor must be connected to the M5. The M5 East is an essential part of the road network. I will not apologise for saying that funding will be allocated over a three-year period. The M5 East, which will be built before the Olympics, will provide an essential traffic connection for those living in south-west Sydney and the industries in south-west Sydney who need to connect with Sydney, the airport and the port.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Georges River to order.
Mr SCULLY: Is the shadow minister for roads saying that under a coalition government there will be a toll, or is he saying that the M5 East will not be built if he cannot get Cabinet approval for a toll? The Government will build the M5 East and it will have not have a toll.