Jenny Ware (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Since being elected in May 2022, it has been the greatest privilege of my life to represent and serve the electorate of Hughes, which is in the south-west and the western end of the Sutherland Shire. The Electoral Commissioner has now moved various suburbs into my electorate. These are Bardia, Glenfield, Ingleburn, Long Point, Macquarie Fields and Macquarie Links. I am proud that I will have the chance going into the next election to have the opportunity to serve these communities in this place. I want to work with the people of south-west Sydney to get south-west Sydney back on track.

South-west Sydney is positioned to be an immense growth area over the next two decades. It's got projects and initiatives like the Western Sydney International Airport, which is set to open 24/7 in 2026. The south-west will have the new city of Bradfield, which will be located in the local government area of Liverpool. But, since May 2022, the Albanese Labor government has comprehensively failed to deliver for the communities in south-west Sydney, particularly for those in the Liverpool local government area and the Campbelltown local government area. For example, the Western Sydney airport is a brand-new airport in the most populous city and the most populous state in our nation. However, the federal government has failed to deliver the infrastructure for such a crucial project. To be clear, the coalition, when in government, had set up an infrastructure plan to enable rail links from the south-west into the airport and back. They had also propositioned that there would be road links going in there.

While we're talking about a new city, I think the judgement of this Prime Minister is questionable, as he did not have a portfolio specifically linked to cities. Former coalition governments have usually always had a cities minister. To show that it's a very important part of the ministry, somebody in that ministry would have oversight of all of the cities and how they link within our nation, a very geographically large nation. This Prime Minister has instead made the decision to put it all in infrastructure. That means his only interest in the new Bradfield city, which is in south-west Sydney, is just in terms of what infrastructure it needs.

Well, the infrastructure that it did need has been pulled by Infrastructure Minister King. Just this week, it was reported that she has pulled the funding for the Western Sydney airport link. The minister has claimed that the interchange between the M7 and M12, two major motorways in New South Wales, is something that the federal government is not party to. This is despite a $110 million commitment by the previous Liberal government. The Liberals recognise the importance of a new international airport. The Liberals recognise the importance to the south-west that this airport will bring. It brings an opportunity for much-needed employment into that area, for example. It also brings the opportunity for us to showcase the south-west to visitors and tourists coming into our country, but that is not something that this Labor government has prioritised.

I'm not even sure if the infrastructure minister has been to south-west Sydney.

Regrettably, the contempt this government clearly has for the people of Sydney's south-west does not stop here. Alongside the cut to vital infrastructure, an additional 50 projects will no longer receive a single cent in funding from the Albanese Labor government. As we're moving into a federal election, if the Liberals are elected, if the coalition is elected, we will fund south-west Sydney. We will, for example, connect Campbelltown back into Sydney. We will look at establishing the Campbelltown community and justice precinct. We will get south-west Sydney back on track. We'll get Australia back on track. (Time expired)