State Budget and Oatley Electorate

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-136632

Hansard session: Fifty-Eighth Parliament, First Session (58-1)

State Budget and Oatley Electorate

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (21:31:29):

Over the past 12 years I have continued to fight incredibly hard for upgrades in my local community. Since being elected in 2011, the New South Wales Coalition had a proud track record of handing down budgets that invested in what people needed most. That ranged from record funding for local schools, significant upgrades to transform our public transport network, major upgrades to hospitals and significant cost-of-living relief rebates to take pressure off household budgets.

Locally over that time my community and I were able to achieve some remarkable things to improve our area. Those things include delivering over $740 million to St George Hospital to transform it into a world-class health facility, including a new emergency department, birthing suite and ambulatory care facility; reducing parking pressure on local roads by delivering commuter car parks in Riverwood and Beverly Hills; upgrading every school across my local community, including a record $45 million for the redevelopment of Penshurst Public School; upgrading Oatley and Narwee railway stations to deliver accessible and modernised transport for locals; commencing the long overdue King Georges Road widening project, which was on the books for over 60 years and will slash congestion by widening the road to three lanes in each direction; and, my favourite, establishing the Dharawal National Park to protect local wildlife and habitat from coalmining operations. Those are a few of the many things that the previous Coalition Government delivered for my electorate over 12 years.

I truly believe the Oatley electorate, as a vibrant and diverse community, is one of the best places in New South Wales to live, work and raise a family. I had continued to campaign for further significant upgrades to our local area as part of this year's State budget. Rebuilding Carss Park swimming pool and upgrading the Oatley‑Como walking track were our top priorities, alongside several other important investments that would have enhanced the local area. I was pleased to see Labor promise to rebuild Carss Park swimming pool before the State election. That was a big win for my community, and locals were looking forward to it.

However, I express my deep disappointment that the Oatley electorate received no substantial funding in the 2023-24 State budget. To date, no funding has been committed to Carss Park swimming pool or any other project. Before the budget was handed down, I wrote to the Premier and the Treasurer to outline my community's desires for this year's budget. I had been strongly advocating on my community's behalf for some time to ensure that we continued to receive the same level of investment. However, Labor has once again failed to deliver on its promises, a narrative that is all too familiar to locals.

We received no funding to rebuild Carss Park swimming pool; no funding to acquire Glenlee; no funding to upgrade Peakhurst West swimming pool; no funding to upgrade any of our local schools, including Narwee Public School and Oatley West Public School; no funding to revitalise the Oatley-Como walkway and cycleway; and no funding to significantly upgrade Belmore Road. Instead, the budget was riddled with cuts to funding. We saw cuts to the Active Kids rebate, cuts to critical infrastructure projects, cuts to the Community Building Partnership Program, and cuts to innovation, arts and culture. We even saw cuts to cost-of-living measures implemented by the former Coalition Government that aimed to help families doing it tough.

The Liberal-Nationals Government worked incredibly hard to deliver a secure economic future for our State. This was done by investing in programs that would see real benefits for the people of New South Wales. It is disheartening to see that Labor's significant cuts will hinder that progress. After years of neglect under Labor, the previous Liberal-Nationals Government completely revitalised my local community through strong investment. I am concerned that Labor will once again neglect to invest in our future.

The one thing to be taken away from this budget is undeniably clear: The Labor Government does not care about my community. The feeling in my electorate is unmistakable. The Labor Government's actions—or lack thereof—have left many feeling neglected. Locals are seeking transparency, accountability and, most of all, a government that will prioritise their needs. I call on the Labor Government to step up and answer for its actions and broken promises. We need more than just words and empty promises; we need concrete actions that are reflected in investment. I will not stop working for my local community. On behalf of every person in the Oatley electorate, I will continue to hold this Government to account. I know that we can make a change to ensure that our community's future is strong.