Chullora Intersection Upgrade

Mr STEWART (Lakemba) [12.06]: I move:

That this House congratulates the Government for its decision to provide $50 million for urgent road upgrading at the intersection of the Hume Highway, Roberts Road and Centenary Drive, Chullora.

I am advised by the Minister for the Olympics, and Minister for Roads that the full upgrading of this intersection, one of Sydney's worst traffic bottlenecks, will now be completed by the end of 1998. The acceleration of the project, to build a flyover and on and off ramps at the intersection, is a direct result of the election of the Labor Government with a committed roads Minister in Michael Knight, who was determined to ensure that real equity was put back into State road funding initiatives, particularly in the western Sydney area. In stark contrast to this approach, under the previous coalition Government this important project, amazingly, would not have been completed or funded until the next century. In fact, I am advised by the Minister that the coalition Government did not even include plans for the works in its five-year forward program - an absolute disgrace.

Given that the intersection of Hume Highway, Roberts Road and Centenary Drive carries an average of more than 65,000 vehicles a day, and also given that the intersection is one of Sydney's major gateways and arterial traffic feeders into the Olympic site at Homebush Bay, the coalition Government's inaction on the matter can only be described as shameful and a blight on the western Sydney motorists who use the intersection each day. Clearly, the previous Government's approach to this issue and the many other urgently needed roadworks in the western Sydney area was to put funding on the backburner. While the coalition Government pushed millions of dollars into plush, blue-ribbon Liberal electorates, it ignored the needs of western Sydney motorists and pedestrians.

The people of western Sydney deserve and need good roads and should not have to wait until next century for improved roads to be put in place. The Government's decision is a quick response to their needs. The decision by the Carr Labor Government to spend $50 million to get rid of one of Sydney's worst traffic bottlenecks is another major tick for the Carr Labor Government. The decision is the result of long and intense lobbying by Labor members of State Parliament Doug Shedden, Peter Nagle, Kevin Moss, my predecessor Wes Davoren, and me as the present member for Lakemba. Unfortunately, constant lobbying by Labor members of Parliament, local councils and active community groups in the main fell on deaf ears under the previous Government.

Finally, the best the former Government could do was to put forward a proposal to upgrade this busy intersection in two stages. The first stage was to be completed by the end of 1997 or thereabouts. Construction of the second and most crucial stage, the overpass, was not planned to begin until after the turn of the century. A quick examination of the previous Government's approach to this important road upgrading provides an interesting insight into the stalling tactics and apparent dishonesty used by that Government in its approach to this issue. On 3 December 1991 Strathfield Municipal Council, which had been very active in pursuing this issue, wrote to the former member for Lakemba, Mr Wes Davoren. The letter, which cites a resolution of the council, stated:

That the RTA be advised that Council rejects the plan as submitted and favours a form of overpass/underpass which retains the existing school grounds and Council seek the support of the Minister, Local Members and Bankstown City Council for the proposal.

Council expressed particular concern about the "land taken" on the High School corner, about the likely congestion and stop start nature of traffic movements, about reduced pedestrian safety and about the apparent decision to provide a "cheap" solution to the problems at the intersection.

A cheap way out, and that is what the previous Government was after; it did not care about the motoring needs of western Sydney residents. It simply wanted a cheap way out and wanted to procrastinate. In response to this important concern
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raised by Strathfield council and the obvious deficiencies of the proposal brought forward by the previous Government for the upgrading of the Roberts Road-Centenary Drive intersection, my predecessor, Wes Davoren, wrote to the Minister for Roads at that time, Mr Wal Murray, in an attempt to meet with the Minister and Strathfield council in order to constructively discuss and resolve this proposal. After waiting three months, Mr Davoren received a reply from the Minister, Wal Murray, which concluded:

Council may be assured that the final determination will take into account the community's concerns and wishes with a view to achieving the most beneficial and cost effective solution to present and future transport problems of the area.

And this is the crunch line:

Having regard to the foregoing, I feel that matters could not be advanced by my meeting you and representatives of Council at this time.

In other words the Minister did not want to consult. He did not want to sit down with the local council or the local members; he simply wanted to bulldoze a cheap decision through without provision for real recourse and accountability. In May 1993 Wes Davoren, being diligent in this matter, again wrote to the Minister for Roads urgently requesting advice and consultation on this issue. At that stage we were playing musical chairs with roads ministers, and Bruce Baird took over. Bruce Baird replied to Wes Davoren on 29 July 1993 and spoke about the number of options the Government was canvassing. The letter stated:

A preferred option will now be determined based on community feedback, environmental and economic grounds.

The letter concluded, again with a crunch line which stated:

However, commencement of construction will depend on the project costs, availability of funds and the relative benefit compared with other projects throughout the State.

In other words, this is not going to happen, not in terms of the real needs of people. Instead, truckloads of money will go to plush Liberal electorates, not to the western Sydney areas where it is needed most. After the deliberate procrastination by the previous Government during February 1994, that infamous speed king, Paul Zammit, former member for Strathfield, issued a press release of dubious content. He indicated that something might actually happen in terms of upgrading this intersection. He said that 200 public responses had been received on this issue. The number one response was for an overbridge over the Hume Highway as the favoured option. This option was considered the most efficient and feasible and had strong community support. Mr Zammit spoke about further community consultation despite the fact that 200 responses had been received. The real agenda of the previous Government was contained in the press release, which concluded with this crunch line:

The construction of the overbridge over the Hume Highway will not proceed until the extra traffic capacity of stage one (the widening of Roberts Road and construction of the railway bridge) has been used up by the traffic growth.

What he is really saying is that this is not going to happen, that the Government will give a few bucks towards a bit of an upgrading with signals at that intersection but will not provide an overpass. The former Government did not really care about the needs of western Sydney. The best summary of the response of the community to the former member for Strathfield is contained in a letter received from Strathfield council by Wes Davoren on 21 February 1994. The council's letter stated:

On March 3 the Roads and Traffic Authority will be making a presentation on their proposals for the upgrading . . . It is the unanimous opinion of the Councillors and our professional staff that the proposal in its present form is totally unacceptable.

This is the great dream put forward by Paul Zammit. The letter continued:

The first stage is only an amplification of the present "at grade" intersection with no guarantee as to when the "grade separation" will be installed only vague promises.

Even this minor amplification will not be completed until 1998.

The major reason advanced for the problem is lack of finance.

The previous Government, which thought it might get a guernsey to take it into the next century, was not going to put money into a project it did not care about. I am pleased that within seven months of being elected the Carr Labor Government announced a full upgrading of the Hume Highway. Work on this project began immediately after the Government's announcement. The community will benefit significantly from the flyover linking Centenary Drive and Roberts Road, with two lanes in each direction and ramps on and off the Hume Highway. The upgrading of the intersection will also feature appropriate road widening on its approaches, a pedestrian footbridge and also a road bridge across the roadway. After seven years in office the previous coalition Government produced no result for what is possibly the worst bottleneck in Sydney. After seven months in office, the Carr Labor Government delivered. The Government delivered $50 million to the people of western Sydney, who now commend its actions. The Minister for Roads has worked hard to deliver real equity back where it is deserved so that residents in Sydney's west will no longer have to negotiate an embarrassing bottleneck that they have put up with for many years.

Mr SOURIS (Upper Hunter - Deputy Leader of the National Party) [12.16]: The upgrading which the honourable member for Lakemba has described and praised is both vital and necessary. I do not intend to suggest that the project is not worthy or urgent, for it most certainly is, and I am pleased that the work is being undertaken. I have a personal knowledge of that road and intersection as
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I travel it frequently to visit my mother who is in a nursing home in Lakemba. On 5 October 1995 Minister Knight announced that $50 million would be spent on fixing, by the end of 1998, one of Sydney's worst bottlenecks. The Minister's press release stated that 65,000 vehicles use the intersection each day. Major features of the works include a flyover linking Centenary Drive and Roberts Road with two lanes in each direction and ramps on and off the Hume Highway. Other features are the widening of the Hume Highway to six lanes through the intersection, with additional left and right turning lanes, a pedestrian overbridge across the highway, and noise barriers along Centenary Drive and adjacent to Strathfield High School.

The Minister claimed that had the Liberals and Nationals remained in government this project would not have been completed until after the turn of the century. The Minister's assertion that the project was not on the coalition's five-year forward program is incorrect. I welcome the work, and it should continue. An examination of the 1994-95 Budget Paper No. 4 reveals that reconstruction of the Hume Highway-Roberts Road intersection is due for completion in 1997. Forward expenditure has been provided, though I am not sure for how many years. The budget papers cover a period of three years, and forward estimates beyond that period are not given. Budget Paper No. 4 shows that work had commenced and almost $3 million had been spent on the project prior to Labor's first budget. The project was under way and expenditure had commenced in accordance with the forward estimates and the former Government's master five-year strategy. The State Road Network Strategy, a technical report for public discussion released by the coalition in December 1994, makes the following point on page 53:

The following components of the strategic road opportunities shown in Figure VI-7 are included in the RTA's current five-year capital works program . . .

The document lists seven major developments including the north-west link, the south-west link, the National Highway metropolitan link, the Engadine-Carlingford link, the north-west sector, including the upgrading of Sunnyholt Road and Old Windsor Road, the city-west corridor and the Campbelltown-Penrith-Windsor link. The document continued:

In addition to these strategic corridor priorities, other priorities requiring completion include: a major upgrading of the route 3 (Roberts Road) intersection with the Hume Highway, to improve safety and capacity . . .

The document went on to list several other projects. The coalition clearly recognised that the bottleneck exists and was committed to its improvement. The main reason for the Labor Government's increased expenditure on the project is to make up for breaking its promise to lift the tolls on the M4 and M5 - a promise which was arguably the most expensive promise in the history of New South Wales politics, a promise valued at $1.7 billion; a promise which Labor had no hope of ever implementing, with or without the tax problems that the Government has used to justify its actions.

The Labor Party's longstanding promise to lift those tolls, which was broken on Victory in the Pacific Day in August, is at the heart of this renewed effort by local members of Parliament. They are seeking to initiate a discussion and have it recorded in Hansard so that they can fax copies to their constituents to show that they are working hard in respect of a project which was already on the drawing board and in the budget papers and for which expenditure had been committed under the previous Government. To claim that the expenditure in western Sydney of $73 million per annum for four years somehow replaces the promise to lift the tolls on the M4 and M5 - a promise that represented $73 million per annum for 30 years - is really a joke. It hardly justifies the Premier's broken promise. It is no compensation for western Sydney and some of the money is from Federal sources.

It is a fraud and it does not compensate the people of western Sydney for the biggest political backdown and broken promise in the history of New South Wales. That is why the grins on the faces of honourable members opposite are unwarranted, Labor having lost so many seats in the recent Federal election. There is no doubt the Carr Government contributed to Labor's downfall and to the utter decimation of the Keating Government. There is no doubt that the most prominent part of the Carr Government's style was reflected in the backlash that Labor suffered, and deservedly suffered, for breaking the promise to lift the tolls on the M4 and M5. The people of New South Wales obviously saw through this fake replacement promise to spend $73 million, some of which is Federal money, for only four years.

It is a pathetic attempt at a smokescreen to cover the broken promise. The promise was made before the last State election and broken soon after. The effect of that broken promise has been reflected in the voting patterns in several electorates in western Sydney. I am pleased to note that the Minister for Sport and Recreation has taken something of an interest in this debate because the backlash was felt in her electorate and the former Federal Labor member is no longer in Parliament. The Labor Party should not think there has been any political respite since the time of the Federal election. The opinion polls show that the Howard Government has continued to improve its position. That is why members opposite are wasting the time of this House; that is why they are bowling up, one after the other, to repeat the same speech. They are probably using each other's speech notes! That is what is at the heart of this motion. It is a pathetic attempt to restore some semblance of Labor standing in western Sydney. Until honourable members opposite replace their leader, they have not got a hope.

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Mr MOSS (Canterbury) [12.25]: I wholeheartedly support the motion, which congratulates the Government on attending to what has been regarded as the worst bottleneck in Sydney. I would go so far as to say that the Hume Highway, Roberts Road and Centenary Drive intersection would be among the worst bottlenecks in Australia. Since the announcement was made in October last year that the Government proposed to do something about the problem, I have mentioned the project all over the place, to various individuals and groups throughout Sydney and in rural New South Wales. It does not matter where I have spoken about the project, people have expressed their satisfaction about what the Government is doing to improve that intersection. That proves that it does not matter where one lives in New South Wales, one is aware of that tremendous bottleneck and the problems associated with that intersection.

When it was in office for seven long years the current Opposition did nothing whatever about the problem. There was a very good reason for that. The reason is that the Hume Highway, Roberts Road and Centenary Drive intersection is situated within Labor heartland. The intersection abuts the Labor electorates of Canterbury, Lakemba and Auburn and is within a stone's throw of the electorate of Bankstown. The only Liberal electorate anywhere near the intersection is the south Strathfield end of the Strathfield electorate. The majority of voters in the south Strathfield end are Labor voters. That is why this intersection was ignored for so long. The Deputy Leader of the National Party has claimed the intersection was not ignored by the previous Government; that the previous Government was committed to the project. I am sure the mover of the motion, the honourable member for Lakemba, will elaborate on that false claim in his reply.

If honourable members opposite were still in government, there would be no upgrading of the intersection in time for the Olympics, despite the fact that it provides a very important link between the south-western suburbs of Sydney and Homebush Bay. The intersection was ignored by the previous Government despite the fact that a high school accommodating 780 students is located near the intersection and a primary school is just down the road. The Government is doing more than merely upgrading the intersection. The fact is that 65,000 vehicles per day pass through the intersection and the upgrading will include a pedestrian footbridge mainly for the use of the school children, to enable them to cross Liverpool Road and avoid traffic entirely.

There are three major features of the project. The first is a new railway bridge. The Government has put its money where its mouth is. Work has already commenced at the intersection and the Government has allocated more than $800,000, almost $1 million, for the construction of a new railway bridge across the Enfield marshalling yards at the point of the intersection. The work is very much under way and will be completed before the end of this year. A second major feature is the flyover across the highway from Roberts Road to Centenary Drive. That is the most important feature in terms of relieving traffic congestion. The other main feature is that the intersection will consist of eight traffic lanes - six through lanes, three each way, and a fourth left-right turning lane at every access point at the intersection. It is an incredible project and the Government deserves to be congratulated on its work.

About two months ago I left my electorate office in Campsie to travel to a funeral at the Rookwood Cemetery and had to allow an additional 30 minutes of travelling time to negotiate the intersection at Roberts Road. It would have taken 20 minutes for the journey if the intersection had been functioning adequately. Earlier I mentioned that the previous Government had ignored this project. It is interesting that on 5 October, when the Minister launched this project at Strathfield Golf Club, a number of Labor members of Parliament were present to celebrate with the Minister this important announcement. But who else came along to celebrate the occasion? Non other than the former member for Strathfield, Paul Zammit. What a bunch of hypocrites these coalition members are. They did nothing in their seven years in office about trying to solve the problems at the intersection, but now want to celebrate this colossal project. [Time expired.]

Mr SHEDDEN (Bankstown) [12.30]: I am delighted to speak to the motion that the House congratulates the Government for its decision to provide $50 million for the urgent road upgrading at the intersection of the Hume Highway, Roberts Road and Centenary Drive at South Strathfield. I was amazed that the honourable member for Upper Hunter told the House a moment ago that this Labor Government was not spending any significant amount of money on the roads of south-western and western Sydney. Everyone knows the large sum of money being spent in those areas, and that such sums will continue to be spent while this Government is in office. Not only is the Government spending $50 million on upgrading the intersection, but over the next couple of years it will spend between $8 million to $10 million on roadworks just a few kilometres along the Hume Highway at the intersection of Stacey Street and Rookwood Road. Naturally, those roadworks will dramatically improve the flow of traffic in that area. Those works have been badly needed for a number of years.

The upgrading of the Hume Highway intersection at Roberts Road and Centenary Drive at South Strathfield is of great significance not only in respect of its benefits in improved traffic flow along the Hume Highway but also for the benefits it will have for traffic flow and management in that area of south-western Sydney. At this stage it is worthwhile putting on record what the development will mean in real terms. A major feature of the
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upgrading is a flyover to link Centenary Drive and Roberts Road, with two traffic lanes in each direction. The flyover and associated ramps will merge with the existing six-lane sections of Centenary Drive to the north and Roberts Road to the south.

Upgrading of the intersection will make driving safer by widening approaches, providing additional lanes, and realigning Roberts Road with Centenary Drive. This will improve traffic flow, reduce frustration for drivers, and improve travelling times along the Hume Highway and Metro Road 3. Other features of the project include widening of the Hume Highway to provide three lanes in each direction, with additional turning lanes; building a pedestrian bridge - an important aspect of this development - over the Hume Highway near Hedges Avenue, for safe access to Strathfield South High School and residential areas; and installing noise walls to shield residential areas along Roberts Road, Centenary Drive and Strathfield South High School.

The previous Government continued to ignore the great need for this upgrading in the seven years that it was in office. Prior to the last redistribution my electorate of Bankstown covered part of this intersection. In the relevant period I continued to make representations, but they fell on the deaf ears of the previous Government. I think it is worth while to indicate some of the real benefits associated with this project. It will free the movement of northbound and southbound traffic on Roberts Road and Centenary Drive. We all know that the freeing of traffic movements in those directions will be of considerable benefit for the Olympic Games, but it will also alleviate the present day-to-day problems faced by motorists. Developments such as the Sydney Markets create considerable traffic movements in that area, and this project will alleviate concerns about traffic congestion.

As to the movement of eastbound and westbound traffic along the Hume Highway, I am sure we all appreciate the benefits to flow from widening of the Hume Highway at this intersection. There will be easy access in all directions for heavy vehicles using facilities in the vicinity of the intersection. Anyone who has negotiated that intersection would appreciate the tremendous benefits that will flow from this project. Heavy vehicles are finding it almost impossible at this stage to move through the intersection without interrupting the present flow of traffic. Of course there will be savings in fuel usage caused by traffic congestion. The project will result in less infiltration of traffic through local streets, allaying concerns of local residents. Mr Deputy Speaker, you would appreciate - [Time expired.]

Mr NAGLE (Auburn) [12.35]: I congratulate the Government and the honourable member for Lakemba for bringing on this motion. I, as a person who has lived near the extension and overhead bridge since 1949 and has been travelling that road since the mid-1960s, can assure honourable members that the intersection is a disastrous bottleneck and causes some of the worst delays on roads in the Sydney metropolitan area. Let me first deal with what was said by the honourable member for Upper Hunter when speaking to the motion. He claimed that the work would have been done before the turn of the century under a coalition Government. A brief look at correspondence going back to 1993 could only lead one to the conclusion that the former coalition Government did not have plans for other than minor work at that intersection. In a letter to Strathfield council, former Deputy Premier and Minister for Roads Mr Wal Murray said:

Council may be assured that the final determination will take into account the community's concerns and wishes with a view to achieving the most beneficial and cost effective solution to present and future transport problems of the area.

Having regard to the foregoing, I feel that the matter could not be advanced by my meeting you and representatives of Council at this time.

So the former Deputy Premier and Minister for Roads had no intention back in April 1993 of advancing the matter, because he would not even speak to the council concerning the council's views on the matter. Then along came a new Minister for Roads, Bruce Baird, who wrote a letter of 29 July 1993 telling former member for Lakemba Mr Wes Davoren:

However, commencement of construction will depend on the project cost, availability of funds and the relevant benefit compared with other projects throughout the State.

I will return to his reference to "compared with other projects throughout the State". Therefore, in July 1993 the previous Government had no plans to upgrade the intersection. Of course, in 1994 its forward plans were not dealt with. The Mayor of Strathfield, Mr Leo O'Donnell, wrote to the former member for Lakemba, Mr Wes Davoren, on 21 February 1994 as follows:

On March 3 the Roads and Traffic Authority will be making a presentation on their proposals for the upgrading.

So in February 1994 there was only a presentation of a proposal. The letter from the council concluded:

It is the unanimous opinion of the Councillors and our professional staff that the proposal in its present form is totally unacceptable. The first stage is only an amplification of the present "at grade" intersection, with no guarantee as to when the "grade separation" will be installed - only vague promises.

Even this minor amplification will not be completed until 1998. The major reason advanced for the problem is lack of finance.

Yet, when a Labor Government was elected in March 1995 the Minister for Roads, the honourable member for Campbelltown, discovered that $50 million was available for the upgrading of the intersection. In the run-up to the elections, the honourable member for Eastwood had persuaded his
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Minister for Roads that that $50 million should be spent on looking after affairs in his electorate, ignoring the needs of western Sydney and these roadworks. That shows the nonsense of the comments made by the honourable member for Upper Hunter that his Government was doing everything it could to assist the people of western Sydney.

The people of western Sydney, particularly those in the electorates of Bankstown, Lakemba, Auburn and Strathfield - at present a Liberal-held seat, but maybe soon it will be a Labor seat - are appreciative of this upgrading project. People can now move out of the Regents Park area, where I live, and be in Sydney 15 minutes earlier than was possible with the delays along the monstrosity. The necessary work has been delayed for too long, for seven long years under a Liberal-National Government. I commend the honourable member for Lakemba for the motion, I commend the Minister for Roads for the great work, and I commend the motion to the House.

Mr STEWART (Lakemba) [12.40], in reply: It is clear that the Deputy Leader of the National Party was embarrassed about trying to defend the indefensible seven years of inaction by the previous Government, of which he was part. The Deputy Leader of the National Party could point to no tangible action of the previous Government in regard to the intersection. He said that the intersection had been included in the previous Government's five-year plan. The Deputy Leader of the National Party did not understand - probably because he did not have the detail in front of him - that the five-year plan simply involved stage one of the intended roadworks.

This Government is taking the opportunity to upgrade the intersection in its entirety. Stage one would simply have given an upgraded version of the traffic light signals and provided for some noise barrier work in the vicinity. It would not have included overpass work, which was needed. That proposal would have cost $12.5 million, not the $50 million that this Government has committed to the project. The press release of the former member for Strathfield of 7 February 1994 refers to the five-year plan to which the previous Government was committed. It stated:

. . . the first stage of the scheme, which involves duplications of the Hume Highway bridge over the railway and the widening of Roberts Road to four lanes at a cost of $12.5 million, will provide early easing of traffic congestion.

That scheme would not have solved the traffic congestion; it avoided the real issue of getting 65,000 motorists over the intersection each day. The press release of the former member for Strathfield also stated:

. . . a pedestrian bridge across the Hume Highway near Hedges Avenue was also planned in the first stage to improve pedestrian safety . . .

That is as far as the previous Government went. It certainly did not include in its five-year plan the construction of the overpass; that matter was put on the backburner. The Roads and Traffic Authority in advice to the Minister has confirmed that the plan was to examine the need for an overpass in the next century - a ridiculous decision for western Sydney motorists. Support for the Government's work ranges far and wide. The honourable member for Rockdale has told me that his barber in Bexley is very pleased with the Government's decision because his family uses that intersection all the time, which is a reflection of the impact of the decision to put $50 million into upgrading what is probably Sydney's worst traffic bottleneck.

The Deputy Leader of the National Party tried to tie in the toll issue. I wonder how long Opposition members think they can cling to the toll issue. The Government's decision had nothing to do with the toll issue. It is simple: the Government was elected on the basis of delivering for the people in western Sydney, and that is exactly what it is doing. The Government is putting equity back into the western Sydney road system. I am proud to be part of that approach. The Deputy Leader of the National Party tried to raise a smokescreen that this decision was a replacement promise. His suggestion is ridiculous and without foundation. The Deputy Leader of the National Party knows, and admitted in his contribution today, that the previous Government recognised the need for the roadworks, urgent roadworks, but did nothing about it. For seven years the coalition was in government but did nothing about the problem at one of Sydney's worst traffic bottlenecks.

The development of the intersection of the Hume Highway, Roberts Road and Centenary Drive, Chullora, caters for all aspects of vehicle, resident, pedestrian and cycle safety. It is a massive project of which the Government is proud. As some of my colleagues and I have already pointed out, the Liberal-National coalition ignored the need for road upgrading in the area. The previous Government came up with a band-aid solution that would not work - it was a $12.5 million band-aid but it did not go as far as delivering on what was needed at the intersection and by the community. The Carr Labor Government has committed $50 million to the project and in doing so has demonstrated that western Sydney motorists will at long last get equity in roads funding. I am proud to be part of the Labor Government that cares about the real needs of western Sydney. I commend to the House the Government's decision to accelerate a full upgrading of the Hume Highway, Roberts Road and Centenary Drive intersection.

Motion agreed to.