David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am thrilled to have the opportunity to speak on an extremely important issue in my electorate. It is time that the easterly-direction ramps to the M5 at Riverwood were opened.

At the moment you can enter the M5 at Riverwood travelling in a westerly direction, or exit if you are coming from a westerly direction. You cannot enter if you are travelling in an easterly direction and you cannot exit if you are coming from the easterly direction, despite the fact that the space is there for those ramps to be opened. They must be opened. This would be a huge benefit for our local community—for the residents of Lugarno, Peakhurst, Riverwood, Punchbowl and many other places in my electorate of Banks.

There are three steps that need to happen to get these ramps open. Firstly, the state government needs to do a study to determine the precise manner in which this would happen—and I encourage the state government to do that. I am very hopeful that soon they will announce that this will in fact occur. Secondly, we need to identify the best way of opening those ramps and the process for doing it. And, thirdly, we need the funding to do it. I am very determined to secure federal government funding to assist in this very important project.

It is a very big deal in my electorate. We must open the M5 ramps in an easterly direction at Riverwood.