The Nationals leader and Member for Murray Plains, Peter Walsh, says the NSW government has finally done what he has been demanding for more than a year – it has publicly, and in writing, confirmed the Swan Hill bridge replacement is an official goer.
Mr Walsh says Transport NSW, which will be the lead on this project, distributed flyers though Swan Hill last week outlining the next steps in the long-awaited two lane crossing of the Murray.
He says this is “an incredible, positive step forward” and the news from NSW that Swan Hill is about to get the state’s first lift-span bridge in more than 35 years has to be seen as a win.
“For mine, this is a 70 per cent good and 30 per cent frustrating announcement,” Mr Walsh explains.
“The fact everyone can now hold a piece of NSW government paper as proof the bridge really is coming is the 70 per cent,” he says.
“But when you read the fine print inside, you see the bureaucratic double speak take over – particularly the paragraph which reads: ‘Swan Hill Bridge is a unique and complex project and is a number of years away from starting construction’.
“That’s the frustration factor. The people of Swan Hill, and those on the opposite side of the river, have been campaigning long and hard for this project to go through, and even though this announcement makes it a reality, it still leaves local hopes and dreams way out there on some distant backburner.”
The Transport NSW flyer says “a huge amount of planning, design and site investigations, including environment and heritage, are required in both states to understand and mitigate potential impacts, identify the best performing solution and support funding applications”.
It also says “thorough planning ensures the project will move quickly and smoothly when construction starts”.
Mr Walsh says according to Transport NSW, once construction begins the bridge is expected to take three years to complete.
“Even worse the flyer says funding for the construction is contingent on completing the planning phase of the project,” he adds.
“That completes the 30 per cent of disappointment. Canberra has already put its money on the table – so this bridge isn’t a theory, it’s a reality.
“But as everyone who relies on the Allan Labor government for anything other than lies, denials and corruption knows, Jacinta Allan and her CFMEU allies have bled the state’s coffers dry so the last thing we need now is the NSW government pussyfooting round getting a major infrastructure project up and running by hiding behind a bunch of red tape.
“All the approvals and investigations it says need to be ticked off should have been well and truly done and dusted by now.
“Swan Hill has waited generations for this bridge and if Jacinta Allan and NSW drag the chain the way it is being suggested here, well that’s just not good enough.
“This project needs to be fast tracked, not slowed down – and under a Liberals Nationals government it would be.”