Chris Hayes (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Cowper for bringing on this motion, because it gives me an opportunity to speak on something I am very passionate about, as it relates to my electorate in the south-west of Sydney. As a member representing an outer metropolitan seat, transport infrastructure debates, particularly those contemplating the future of the east coast corridor, are of interest to me. Debates on the transport future of the east coast are not simply considered from the perspective of passenger transport. The future of freight transport, given that Minto and other areas in my electorate are designated as freight hubs, is of particular significance.

South-west Sydney—and particularly areas like Ingleburn, Prestons and Minto, as I just mentioned—is a significant contributor to Australia’s manufacturing industry. Nearly 50,000 people are employed in the manufacturing sector in the south-west of Sydney, so the sector has considerable economic significance for us and for the nation. In addition, the electorate of Werriwa ranks 10th in the country in terms of business involvement in the transport and storage industries.

The synergies and efficiencies between better integration of the manufacturing sector in the region and the means by which products get to its customers are key to the future prosperity of south-west Sydney. Naturally, it follows that the social, economic and environmental future of south-west Sydney cannot be considered in isolation from the consideration of the infrastructure needs of the region. The region is growing rapidly, and this growth needs to be enhanced and accommodated by the appropriate level of infrastructure. Local companies are good enough to compete on the world stage, and many already do this. This should be supported and encouraged wherever possible. The best means to support and encourage such development is through the provision of efficient and effective transport links.

I was pleased to hear my colleague the member for Cunningham raise the issue of the Maldon-Dombarton rail link. This piece of infrastructure is an important one for the future of the Macarthur region, given the upgrade of port facilities at Port Kembla and the consideration being given to the development of a number of freight hubs in the south-west of Sydney. The decision of the New South Wales government to introduce a three-ports strategy, which includes considerable expansion of Port Kembla, offers the south-west of Sydney a unique opportunity.

However, given the cost of developing the Maldon-Dombarton rail link, which I understand will run into many hundreds of millions of dollars, the significance of that should be considered for what it is. It is a nationally significant piece of infrastructure and should be funded accordingly. Given the significant costs of modern infrastructure projects such as these initiatives, which obviously will have an impact on us, there is a role for state government; but the federal government cannot avoid meeting its responsibilities to provide the necessary financial support to develop those much needed pieces of infrastructure.

The motion before the House today also supports the continued development of the intermodal rail links. There is no doubt that intermodal hubs—one of which is in my electorate and is owned by the Macarthur Intermodal Shipping Terminal, which is located in Minto—are an important element of Australian transport’s future, particularly in and around Sydney, given the cost of land near port facilities. The Macarthur Intermodal Shipping Terminal is a significant business and I welcome the contribution it has made in reducing the number of trucking movements in and about local streets and also, for that matter, on the Hume Highway, because those pieces of road infrastructure are very much critical commuter corridors.

The rising cost of transport fuels, which we heard some discussion about earlier today—and which we will obviously hear plenty more about in due course—will drive a lot of the attention to efficient lines of transportation for businesses. Quite frankly, this should not be lost on people when we are moving to improve our domestic consumption of raw materials— (Time expired)

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