Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Macarthur is now the biggest electorate in the country by population and is increasing by hundreds every day. Last week I attended Campbelltown Performing Arts High School for their annual performance. The performance was fantastic, but the school looks the same as it did when I first went there for a case conference in 1984. We have roads like Appin Road that are in the same condition as they were 50 years ago. The lack of infrastructure spending by state and federal Liberal governments has led to really bad deterioration in our infrastructure and a deteriorating quality of life for many of our residents. Increases in population have not had consequential increases in infrastructure spending. The lack of spending on Appin Road and high schools, the lack of a rail link to Western Sydney Airport, the lack of investment in our health infrastructure, and the lack of investment in our new suburbs, as our farms become suburbs, have all led to a deterioration in the quality of life of Macarthur residents. It is urgent that we spend money on infrastructure. The Liberal Morrison government and the state Perrottet government did nothing to provide infrastructure for our rapidly increasing population. Our quality of life is deteriorating thanks to the lack of infrastructure spending by Liberal governments at state and federal levels. It is a disgrace. Those opposite should be ashamed of themselves. I urge our Labor government to get on with spending, which they will do, on infrastructure in Macarthur.