Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

People aren't sleeping, anxiety levels are sky-high and there's massive uncertainty for two groups of residents in Hawkesbury. Homes and properties in Oakville and Vineyard are slated for demolition following the New South Wales government's announcement of the M9 corridor, and those in Yarramundi, Grose Vale, Grose Wold and Kurrajong and surrounds are similarly distressed by the Bells Line of Road corridor plan, which might be 30 years away.

Yes, at times we need to build roads, but it's not too much to ask that the road goes somewhere and that people affected have a say. There's been appalling consultation on the single route nominated by the New South Wales Liberals for each of these roads. They've selected heavily populated areas, fertile farmland and environmentally sensitive places as their preferred options, and it has come out of the blue for residents. The New South Wales Liberals chose to notify only those directly impacted. If you were a centimetre out of the corridor, you weren't told.

The member for Hawkesbury, who happens to be the New South Wales Treasurer, can't keep shifting blame to his roads minister, Stuart Ayres. He has to admit he's got it wrong, that there is no need to create decades of uncertainty for these communities. If the real agenda is to build intense housing developments across the river, tell us now. If the M9's going to go through Maraylyla, tell us now. Dominic Perrottet is the second most powerful person in the state. If he intends to fix this problem, he can't wait until July; he needs to fix it now. (Time expired)

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