Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to rise today to speak about how this budget is responding to the concerns of people on the Central Coast. One of the biggest issues that are always raised with me when I am out and about, speaking with people, is the importance of good-quality local roads. Sadly, all too often on the Central Coast, we see that the conditions of local roads need to be improved and upgraded. I hear it when I am out talking with the Copacabana Progress Association—and I was pleased to support their petition with President Matthew Hill—or with the Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, who have been campaigning for better roads on the peninsula for years. When I look at my Facebook page, I see comments from people such as Anthony from Umina, who said, 'Sydney people are moving here en masse, and infrastructure here is at a 1960s level.' When I returned the call of Stephen from Daleys Point, he said to me, 'We really need to see better local roads here.'

This budget is helping to deliver better roads for the people of my community. One of the most important commitments on local roads that we made in the lead-up to the last election was to help improve an accident-prone area at the corner of Langford Drive and Woy Woy Road at Kariong. It is something that local residents have been telling me they wanted to see fixed—without seeing it fixed—for way too long. I worked with them. We doorknocked and got 3,000 signatures on a petition that called for funding for this road. I am pleased to say that there is $675,000 in the budget committed to helping Gosford City Council make this happen.

The Black Spot Program is an important program that targets dangerous sections of local roads. This budget confirms $1.6 million of road funding for black spots in Robertson, which is on top of the funding that has already been delivered for Narara Valley Drive and for Avoca Drive at Kincumber. Some examples of how this funding will be used in Robertson include the installation of safety barriers on the Central Coast Highway at East Gosford, at Avoca Drive in Green Point and in other suburbs as well, including Umina Beach, Gosford and Woy Woy. These are all examples of how our government is working to improve local roads in our community.

On top of that, we also saw a doubling of funding for the Roads to Recovery program, which also helps local councils meet local priorities. I am pleased to see that we have doubled the Roads to Recovery investment for the next financial year. That means that Gosford City Council will receive $1.9 million—almost $2 million—in 2015-16. I think that is fantastic and I know it is appreciated by local councils. It allows them to direct local road funding to local suburbs and roads where it is most needed. Up the road a little further we of course have NorthConnex. Funding of $405 million has been committed to ensuring that this important missing link is built—a link that will help commuters and families in my electorate.