A NSW Coalition election promise to spend $4 million on road improvements in the Orange electorate is too little too late according to Country Labor candidate Bernard Fitzsimon.
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Member for Orange Andrew Gee and Minister for Roads and Freight Duncan Gay announced funding for two council road projects yesterday, only weeks out from the March 28 state election.
They pledged to spend $2 million to fast-track the southern feeder road to improve traffic flow to residential developments in the south of Orange. They also announced $2 million for at least two, if not three, overtaking lanes on Cargo Road.
“Cargo Road is a key freight link for livestock and hay carriers and plays a crucial role in connecting towns in Cabonne, like Canowindra and Cargo, to the regional city of Orange,” Mr Gee said.
He said the $4 million works package would be spread over two financial years, starting in 2015-16, and was not contingent on the lease of 49 per cent of the “poles and wires”.
Mr Gay said roads and infrastructure had been neglected for 16 years under the previous Labor government, which left a backlog of critical council road infrastructure when the Coalition came to office in 2011.
He said since then the Coalition had allocated $1.5 billion in grants to councils across the state for roads and bridges - a 40 per cent increase on Labor’s last term in office.
However, Mr Fitzsimon rejected claims the state of the roads was due to Labor’s neglect.
He said the Coalition had underspent $6.5 billion on infrastructure since coming into government, and if the work was so critical why wasn’t it announced earlier.
“My first point is why has it become so critical for Mr Gee to act on this after three years and 11 months of government,” Mr Fitzsimon said.
“It’s obvious that the Nationals and Liberals have been making an infrastructure saving so that they can run around three weeks before an election with a lolly bag dropping treats to voters.
“I think that a lot of stuff that they should have done in the last four years they are only beginning to think about because there is an election hanging over their heads.”
tanya.marschke@fairfaxmedia.com.au