Albanese Government backflips on $75 million for upgrades
The October Federal budget has seen the Albanese Government withdraw a promise of $75 million in funding to improve Wakehurst Parkway.
The funding, allocated by the Morrison Government and announced by the former Member for Mackellar, Jason Falinski, in the lead up to the Federal election, was for upgrades around the Northern Beaches Hospital site.
The funds would have been used to widen Wakehurst Parkway at Warringah Road into two lanes travelling both directions and fund a new pedestrian and cycle bridge as well as a fauna rope crossing ahead of the Beaches Link Tunnel project.
At the time, Mr Falinski maintained the provision of the funding was not dependent on the tunnel’s construction going ahead.
Despite this, the Commonwealth Government has backflipped on the funding in its most recent budget with current Member for Mackellar, Dr Sophie Scamps, blaming the NSW Government’s decision to shelve the major project.
“The $75 million in funding was originally allocated by the Morrison Government in their pre-election budget on the basis that the Northern Beaches Tunnel was going ahead. However, the NSW Liberal State Government broke their promise to the people of the Northern Beaches and cancelled the project. This broken promise by the NSW Liberal State Government has led directly to the withdrawal of this funding,” Dr Scamps said.
“I made strong representations on behalf of the people of Mackellar to both the Infrastructure Minister and the Treasurer in an attempt to save this funding, despite the NSW Government’s broken promise.”
Dr Scamps said while she is ‘disappointed’ the funding has been withdrawn, she will continue to pressure both the Perrottet and Albanese governments to fix the recurring flooding that leads to the closure of the Parkway.
“It is unacceptable that one of the major arterial roads leading to the Northern Beaches’ only public hospital is closed multiple times every year due to flooding,” she said.