Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the minister for infrastructure. I understand that our current Prime Minister set up Infrastructure Australia under the previous Labor government. Recently, this authority listed the Sydney Metro link between Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport to Paramatta as a priority area. This critical line would have brought job opportunities to my Fowler electorate and reduced congestion. But New South Wales Labor has slashed this line in favour of buses, which don't connect the three major cities. What will you do to restore this critical transport link for my community?

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much to the member for her question. I know that she's asking this as a strong advocate for her community in relation to public transport.

I visited Western Sydney International recently to announce that it now has its international code, WSI. It's well and truly progressing well. The Albanese Labor government has committed over $5 billion, alongside the New South Wales government, to the Western Sydney Airport metro line. In fact, I had the opportunity to dig the first sod on that rail line, along with Minister Elliot, not that long ago. It's a very important rail line; it will provide important links. Obviously, we want to see that project to fruition.

Of course, there is money that the New South Wales government has put on the table for a business case for part of that line to Paramatta, but no other funding has been committed. No other funding has been committed to that project. We will certainly, as a government which is committed to public transport and committed to the Western Sydney airport metro link, consider any proposals that the new New South Wales government puts to us on the table. But no level of government has committed the money to build that project.