Member for Orange Phil Donato has slammed the state government and Nationals MPs for failing to deliver on a promise to build the Bells Line Expressway.
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Looking at a Nationals newsletter from 2007 released by Duncan Gay to residents in the Dubbo electorate where he pledged to build the expressway, Mr Donato said there were no excuses for getting started.
“It’s just another broken promise. Here is the Nationals criticising Labor for not doing anything but they have been in power since 2011 and they haven’t done anything either,” Mr Donato said.
“It’s been a decade, they have no excuses.”
The newsletter from Gay, who was a Nationals MLC and shadow minister at the time, to residents in Dubbo, Forbes, Parkes and Narromine said the party would make the expressway happen.
Headlined “Nationals would build Bells Line Expressway”, Mr Gay’s newsletter said the expressway would be safer and improve efficiency.
“A real highway across the mountains is well overdue,” Mr Gay said.
“We need a safer route to help reduce fatal car accidents.
“The Bells Line Expressway is the key top economic growth of the Central West, including Lithgow.”
Mr Gay didn’t provide a timeline but attacked the Labor-led government of the day for not starting construction.
“The Nationals are exploring a number of models for funding combining federal and state money including the federal Auslink program,” he said.
“The Iemma-Costa Labor government have had too long to begin construction on this important road.”
Mr Gay would go on to become Roads Minister in 2011 when the coalition was elected to government and held the position until a cabinet reshuffle in January 2017. He quit politics in July last year.
Member for Bathurst Paul Toole and Member for Dubbo Troy Grant were both provided with a copy of the newsletter but did not respond to questions about Mr Gay’s commitment.
While Mr Gay said the expressway would happen, current Roads Minister Melinda Pavey said the government was doing a “broad investigation” of the corridor for “long-term improvements”.