Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Urban Infrastructure. Will the government ensure that, on the day of its opening, rail access will be available at Western Sydney Airport, along the north-south corridor, opening up jobs and economic opportunities from the north-west to the Macarthur region?

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do thank the member for Werriwa for her question, and I'd like to thank her for her work on the Forum on Western Sydney Airport, which is the community consultation mechanism we have underway to make sure there is good community engagement in relation to Western Sydney Airport, a project which, to get underway, took a coalition government—a project which had been in the too-hard basket for 20, 30, 40 years. It took a coalition government to take a decision to proceed with Western Sydney Airport, and we have made the commitment to invest $5.3 billion of taxpayers' funds to get this airport built and delivered by the end of 2026. Already there is work underway on the site, with a high-voltage transmission line being undergrounded. That is a project of nearly $100 million. Already we have the head office of the company open and operational in Liverpool, in the member's electorate of Werriwa.

Of course, we have a $3.6 billion Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan, involving the provision of excellent ground transport connectivity to Western Sydney Airport, including a new M12 that will run from the airport to the M7 and connect into the Sydney motorway network. The Northern Road will be upgraded to at least four lanes for all of its 35-kilometre length. At the same time, the two governments—the Commonwealth government and the New South Wales government—have work well advanced on a scoping study to look at the rail needs of Western Sydney and Western Sydney Airport. That has reported to the two governments, and we'll have more to say in the coming months. The airport site, of course, is planning to be rail ready, and that work is well underway. The Turnbull government is getting on with—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Grayndler on a point of order?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, Mr Speaker. It was a very precise, tight question. It asked: will the rail line be open when the airport is open?

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Grayndler can resume his seat. He doesn't need to disclose to me he was the author of it. That's not necessary at all. The minister is being directly relevant to the question.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the shadow minister, who never delivered Western Sydney Airport, for that interjection. I thank the shadow minister, who was also, during that glorious period of 'Albonia', briefly responsible for the NBN as well. I thank the shadow minister, but, more importantly, I thank the member for Werriwa for her question.

I do acknowledge the bipartisan support for Western Sydney Airport and the extraordinary transformations that are going on in Western Sydney infrastructure. Work by the Commonwealth and the New South Wales governments is well advanced in relation to a Western Sydney city deal. We have an overall, comprehensive policy approach to delivering infrastructure for Western Sydney, as we are doing around the country. The Turnbull government are delivering infrastructure for Western Sydney. We've got a track record that we're proud of, and there's a lot more going on.