What's in the State Budget for the Central Coast?

The Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch has not surprisingly welcomed the NSW Budget, which has delivered a $802 million surplus.

 Highlights for the Central Coast include:

• $13.5 million to continue upgrades at Terrigal and Wamberal Public Schools,
• $2.5 million to kick-start the redevelopment of Gosford Police Station,
• $60.5 million for stage 1 of the Wyong Hospital redevelopment,
• $151.2 million for Central Coast roads projects:
  • $6.5 million to complete the Empire Bay Drive intersection at Kincumber,
  • $33.9 million for the Pacific Highway at Lisarow, and
  • $104.6 million for the M1 Pacific Highway between Tuggerah and Doyalson and Kariong and Somersby,
• $93 million for planning for a new rail alignment, including between Sydney and Woy Woy,
• $212,000 to plan an expanded commuter car park at Tuggerah,
• Rollout of a digital drivers licence in the coming months,
• Delivery of NorthConnex in 2020,
• $6.3 million towards the Gosford City Centre water supply and sewerage upgrades,
• $1 million to continue renovation and extension work at Kariong Fire Station,
• Free dental care for primary school kids at Central Coast schools,
• Reduce the weekly Opal Travel cap to $50 per week for adults, saving Central Coast commuters up to $686 a year,
• Rollout of a Smart Motorways system between Sydney and Gosford,
• Conversion of Gosford commuter car park to an Opal Park and Ride car park,
• Introduction of the Senior Savers Card for all Central Coast residents aged 60 or over,
• $1 million for the expansion of Surfing NSW’s Surfers Rescue 24-7 course,
• Doubling of the Active Kids rebate to two $100 vouchers per year,
• $16 million for essential infrastructure works at Mount Penang Parklands,
• $500,000 to investigate water quality at Terrigal and surrounds, and $200,000 for Tuggerah Lakes, and

A new $500 million Fixing Local Roads Program to support Council road projects.

As for Labor's response.....

The Berejiklian Government’s budget has failed to deliver for the Central Coast, despite a promise from the Treasurer of a focus on families.

The first budget since the March election will come as a disappointment to most Central Coast residents as they are left with a series of re-announced projects.

Eight years after cancelling the project the Liberals have still not allocated funding for Tuggerah Station lifts despite promising to at the March election. The Liberals have also failed to deliver specific funding or a timeline on their election commitment to station access upgrades at Ourimbah, Narara, Lisarow, Point Clare and Niagara Park. 

Despite a surplus delivered by privatising $70 billion worth of public assets and service cuts affecting the Central Coast, the budget has delivered no new major projects for the region.

Among the disappointments and broken promises for the Central Coast are the continued inaction on the Woy Woy rail underpass, no start to construction on the Pacific Highway upgrade through Wyong and no commitment to stopping the Liberal’s sick tax on patients and staff parking at Wyong and Gosford Hospitals.

With the first budget for the re-elected Government handed down the Liberals record on schools is now two closed and none built, compared to 5 built under the previous Labor Government.  The Government has also gone quiet on the new school at Warnervale with no money allocated despite two years of fanfare.

The Central Coast regional overview in the Budget consists almost exclusively of ongoing projects from budgets past including long delayed and cancelled commitments from when the government first came to power in 2011.

The Warnervale Link Road and Carters Road have also failed to rate a mention in a budget that continues the Government’s Sydney-centric infrastructure agenda.

Despite the Government saying that we could “have it all” the Central Coast has no new major projects in its first budget and has seen a decrease of $17 million in roads funding and only $40 million for actual construction on internal Central Coast roads.