❓ Question regarding the status of the Forrestfield-Airport Link project. The Minister responds by highlighting the government's commitment to the project, its benefits for eastern suburbs commuters, job creation, and criticizes the opposition's past transport plans.
AnsweredQoN 277Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FORRESTFIELD–AIRPORT LINK
277. MR N.W. MORTON to the Minister for
Transport:
There has been a lot of public
commentary in recent days about the Liberal–National government's
Forrestfield–Airport Link. Can the minister please update the house on
the status of the project, which will transform the eastern suburbs, including
my electorate of Forrestfield?
277. MR N.W. MORTON to the Minister for
Transport:
There has been a lot of public
commentary in recent days about the Liberal–National government's
Forrestfield–Airport Link. Can the minister please update the house on
the status of the project, which will transform the eastern suburbs, including
my electorate of Forrestfield?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for his question
and for his ongoing interest in activities in the Forrestfield electorate. The
Liberal–National government is committed to delivering the Forrestfield–Airport
Link, because it will mean that it will take commuters from the communities in
the eastern suburbs of Forrestfield, High Wycombe and that area 20 minutes to
travel to the CBD. At the moment it is taking commuters in those areas nearly an
hour to drive to Perth.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Order, members for Armadale and Butler!
Mr
D.C. NALDER : All that those on the other side are doing is confirming what
we fear and the reason that we are acting so quickly. They have complained
about this project from day one, and they are basically indicating that should
they win the next election, they will scrap this project. They do not support
this project that will open up the eastern suburbs—the long-forgotten
suburbs in the east of Perth. It has taken this Liberal–National
government to start putting development into the eastern suburbs of Western
Australia, to provide some surety and some public transport and amenities that
suburbs in other electorates enjoy. We are proud of the fact that we are
opening up the eastern suburbs and providing a much more convenient proposition
for the electorate in the eastern suburbs.
Mr
B.S. Wyatt : The electorate?
Mr
D.C. NALDER : The electorates. This project will provide not only
world-class public transport to the airport, but also the people —
Ms
R. Saffioti interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for West Swan, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr
D.C. NALDER : This project will provide not only a world-class transport
solution to the airport and a fantastic public transport solution to people in
the eastern suburbs, but also is expected to create up to 2 000 jobs. In these
tough economic times, it is the responsibility of government to ensure that it
puts in place the infrastructure that will provide for the future and also
create jobs for people who are otherwise struggling. This is a fantastic
opportunity.
I will not remind Labor at this time
about its failed marginal seats rail program, or whatever it was going to call
it, that was going to blow out by over $734 million. It was never delivering a
rail line to the airport.
Mr
B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Victoria Park, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr
D.C. NALDER : They clearly do not like being reminded that they were building
a railway nearly to the airport but not to the airport. In fact, they talk
about how far away the Airport West station is from the airport, but I can tell
them that it is twice as close —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members for Victoria Park and Cannington! You have made your
point, member for Victoria Park.
Mr
D.C. NALDER : It is twice as close as the station they proposed, which was
going to be in the middle of Tonkin Highway, twice as far away from the Airport
West station and with the inconvenience of sticking it in the middle Tonkin
Highway. We are providing a much more suitable outcome for the people in the
eastern suburbs, for the electorates of Belmont and Forrestfield and beyond
into Kalamunda and to the people of Midland. We are thinking of all the people
out there. By introducing the bill today, we are confirming our intention to
get on and build this project. We are going to construct this railway, because
we do not want to see a situation —
Mr
B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Victoria Park, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr
D.C. NALDER : We would not want to ever see a situation such as the one
created by the opposition's careless comrades in the east who have
scrapped a project that the government had committed to at the time. What a
careless and irresponsible act by the Labor Party.
Mr
B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Victoria Park!
and for his ongoing interest in activities in the Forrestfield electorate. The
Liberal–National government is committed to delivering the Forrestfield–Airport
Link, because it will mean that it will take commuters from the communities in
the eastern suburbs of Forrestfield, High Wycombe and that area 20 minutes to
travel to the CBD. At the moment it is taking commuters in those areas nearly an
hour to drive to Perth.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Order, members for Armadale and Butler!
Mr
D.C. NALDER : All that those on the other side are doing is confirming what
we fear and the reason that we are acting so quickly. They have complained
about this project from day one, and they are basically indicating that should
they win the next election, they will scrap this project. They do not support
this project that will open up the eastern suburbs—the long-forgotten
suburbs in the east of Perth. It has taken this Liberal–National
government to start putting development into the eastern suburbs of Western
Australia, to provide some surety and some public transport and amenities that
suburbs in other electorates enjoy. We are proud of the fact that we are
opening up the eastern suburbs and providing a much more convenient proposition
for the electorate in the eastern suburbs.
Mr
B.S. Wyatt : The electorate?
Mr
D.C. NALDER : The electorates. This project will provide not only
world-class public transport to the airport, but also the people —
Ms
R. Saffioti interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for West Swan, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr
D.C. NALDER : This project will provide not only a world-class transport
solution to the airport and a fantastic public transport solution to people in
the eastern suburbs, but also is expected to create up to 2 000 jobs. In these
tough economic times, it is the responsibility of government to ensure that it
puts in place the infrastructure that will provide for the future and also
create jobs for people who are otherwise struggling. This is a fantastic
opportunity.
I will not remind Labor at this time
about its failed marginal seats rail program, or whatever it was going to call
it, that was going to blow out by over $734 million. It was never delivering a
rail line to the airport.
Mr
B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Victoria Park, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr
D.C. NALDER : They clearly do not like being reminded that they were building
a railway nearly to the airport but not to the airport. In fact, they talk
about how far away the Airport West station is from the airport, but I can tell
them that it is twice as close —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members for Victoria Park and Cannington! You have made your
point, member for Victoria Park.
Mr
D.C. NALDER : It is twice as close as the station they proposed, which was
going to be in the middle of Tonkin Highway, twice as far away from the Airport
West station and with the inconvenience of sticking it in the middle Tonkin
Highway. We are providing a much more suitable outcome for the people in the
eastern suburbs, for the electorates of Belmont and Forrestfield and beyond
into Kalamunda and to the people of Midland. We are thinking of all the people
out there. By introducing the bill today, we are confirming our intention to
get on and build this project. We are going to construct this railway, because
we do not want to see a situation —
Mr
B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Victoria Park, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr
D.C. NALDER : We would not want to ever see a situation such as the one
created by the opposition's careless comrades in the east who have
scrapped a project that the government had committed to at the time. What a
careless and irresponsible act by the Labor Party.
Mr
B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Victoria Park!
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