The Labor Party has promised an investment in regional road repair if it wins the NSW election, after "more than a decade of poor maintenance, compounded by floods and bushfires".
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NSW shadow premier Chris Minns was in Goulburn today (Friday, March 3]) to discuss Labor's commitment to regional road repair. His party would invest $670 million to create a new, two-year emergency road repair fund, to bring roads across regional NSW "up to scratch".
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"Across the state, regional, rural and remote communities are suffering with damaged roads as a result of the Government's failure to provide real assistance to councils to keep roads properly maintained," Mr Minns said.
"Labor will prioritise getting our road networks in the regions back on track, with help to every Council to fix their roads, and build the roads they need to help their growing communities prosper."
Mr Minns also announced an additional $390 million investment over two years to continue the existing regional pothole program, "to ensure there is enough funding available to start the vital work of repairing our regional roads".
He pointed at the government's regional roads commitment in 2019 and said it remained "unfulfilled".
A Labor government would defer the road reclassification program and put the existing $193 million from the NSW budget, plus an additional $197 million, into the new emergency road repair fund.
"Labor will act to provide the funds that councils need to fix their roads now," Mr Minns said.
NSW shadow regional transport and roads minister, Jenny Aitchison, said rural, regional and remote communities could not reach their full potential without the funding to repair their roads.
"They need new roads to link in with new developments; new economic opportunities, and to fix the maintenance backlog," she said.
"We will provide the help they need to get moving again."
Ms Aitchison said communities were calling for "urgent" assistance".
"To fix their roads, and create the new ones to meet the needs of their communities," she said.
"Labor is working with communities to build and maintain the roads they use every day."
While in Goulburn, Mr Minns pledged to keep Essential Energy in public hands and criticised the government's privatisation record.
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