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

I rise today to provide an update to the people of Kariong about the progress of our commitments to them. Construction is underway on the long-awaited 'missing link', the M1-M2, or NorthConnex, which could save 15 minutes in valuable travel time for commuters between the Central Coast and the Sydney CBD. We have provided $675,000 in the federal budget towards making the Woy Woy Road and Langford Drive intersection safer, a project that now rests with Gosford City Council to finalise and build. I would urge council to deliver on this commitment and fix this road as a matter of priority. Three thousand local residents signed a petition calling on this dangerous intersection to be fixed and I share their concerns about the delay in getting this done. After all, the money has been in the federal budget for the last two occasions. So I have to ask: what are we waiting for?

We are also rolling out the NBN to Kariong, with construction to start in the first half of 2016. This is great news for the people of Kariong as services are usually available around 12 months from when construction begins. Kariong is also benefiting from our Safer Streets program, with $180,000 to install CCTV at the Kariong recreation area, Arunta Avenue shops and at the corner of Mitchell and Langford Drives.

Finally, I advise that I am hosting a community BBQ at Kariong and I am looking forward to chatting to Kariong local residents over lunch and a drink. I just hope my listening skills are much better than my cooking skills!