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- 29 March 2006
Camden Land Releases
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Page: 21651
The Hon. GREG PEARCE [6.35 p.m.]: Earlier this month I visited the Elderslie and Spring Farm new land releases at Camden with Camden mayor Fred Anderson and deputy mayor Chris Patterson. If one accepted the spin from the Premier and planning Minister Sartor, one would expect the releases to be proceeding apace. However, the reality is that there is no essential infrastructure, a lack of co-ordination between New South Wales government agencies, and confusion over funding. The Elderslie and Spring Farm releases are tests of the Iemma Labor Government's commitment and capacity to deliver on its metropolitan strategy. The residents of Camden have a right to be wary of the Iemma Government's proposals because of Labor's abysmal track record on these projects.
The Elderslie development comprises the potential of about 2,000 lots located between the existing suburb of Elderslie and the Camden golf course, bounded by Camden Valley Way and the Camden bypass. Spring Farm comprises a further 4,500 lots also on the end of Camden. These release areas are at the pointy end of the 155,000 dwellings and 80,000 jobs forecast over the next 25 years as part of the metropolitan strategy for south-western Sydney. The Government's responsibility is to provide the necessary infrastructure to support these developments, including transport links, water and sewerage, electricity and social facilities such as schools and hospitals. But this Labor Government's record in all these areas is a worry.
As the Property Council's report this week shows, the Labor Government is trying to push all the cost of this infrastructure on to first home buyers. Developers and purchasers acknowledge the need to make a contribution, but the money must be used to deliver infrastructure in time for occupancy. At Camden the Iemma Government is proposing a levy of $15,000 per lot to cover regional transport. But already the Government's response has been appallingly slow, as seen in the upgrade of Narellan Road, which is the major expenditure for this levy. The works have been going on forever and are still not finished. Similarly, the anticipated rail link, the southern rail link, is way off in the never-never. Supposedly, the Government has allocated $360 million for the acquisition of the route for the southern and northern rail links, but little, if any, of this funding has been spent.
In Camden the construction of Liz Kernohan Drive, the link road between Camden Valley Way and the Camden bypass, has stalled because the Roads and Traffic Authority has not determined the nature of the connection at the Camden bypass and has not funded the alterations to the Camden bypass that will be required. Yesterday the Minister for Roads said he had no idea when this would be funded.
Similarly, Sydney Water has yet to do anything to connect the Mt Annan Reservoir to the new land releases at Elderslie and Spring Farm, which is needed for these new release areas. At present there is only capacity to supply water to about 750 lots, and a new primary school in Elderslie has also been stalled by the Department of Education and Training, which will only commit when the first 200 homes have been built. Where are the funds for this important part of social infrastructure for the community? Of great concern to residents also is that funding is also lagging for construction of the links between existing areas and the new development. I am talking here about construction of cycle ways, paths and roads, which are necessary in large areas.
I saw on Camden Valley Way that the pathway for children attending the new sports facilities along the verge of a very busy road has not been completed. I hope that this exercise is not a cynical repeat of other exercises by the Iemma-Sartor Labor Government. Recently the local press highlighted what occurred in Blair Athol in Campbelltown. Even though it was developed a decade ago, the suburb still has no sporting facilities, no neighbourhood centre, no post office box, no playground equipment, no street furniture and no public toilets. Given the Iemma Labor Government's track record and lack of funding for the development, the residents of Camden have every reason to be wary for the area's future. Residents of the Camden area have accepted the need for further land releases but they rightly want assurances that their urban lifestyle will be protected. That necessitates the Iemma Government providing the infrastructure necessary to support new land releases.
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