Shadow Minister for the Central Coast, Chris Hartcher, has today criticised the Rees Labor Government over its failure to provide any new initiatives or funding to the Central Coast for essential services and roads.

“The 2009/10 Budget handed down today has got to be the worst budget ever for the Central Coast.

“There was only 1 mention by the Treasurer in his speech to Parliament about the Coast and that was for trains that were already promised in last years mini-budget.

“There was no allocation for new Police Stations, Ambulance Stations and particularly for the much promised and highly publicised Kincumber Fire Station, that received funding for staff in last years budget but to date does not exist.

“The budget did not provide any new announcements for road works or construction on the Central Coast at all. There is no funding for widening Terrigal Drive, no funding at the West Gosford Intersection for a much-needed overpass and no funding for road works on Brisbane Water Drive and other grid locked Central Coast roads.

“Mr Della Bosca claims, in his media release, that ‘locals will benefit from more investment in roads’ and that the Rees Government has delivered funds to upgrade the Central Coast Highway from Carlton Rd to Matcham Rd - this is not a new announcement, nor a new project; it is just a painfully slow continuation of promises made years ago.

An analysis of the Budget announcement shows:

“$25 million to upgrade the Central Coast Highway from Carlton Road to Matcham Rd”

In 2007/08 Budget there was $1.8m spent and a further $5m allocated.

In 2008/09 Budget there was $6.2m spent and a further $15m allocated.

In this years Budget there was $13.8m spent and a further $25m allocated.

“The Minister’s own figures don’t add up. To date $21.2 million should have been spent yet this years budget papers show only $13.8m and the Minister still makes the same announcement every year; and to date not a single shovel has hit the ground. Where is the so-called ‘benefit’?

“Unsurprisingly there was no mention of a Public Radiology/Oncology Unit for the Central Coast, desperately needed by hundreds of cancer sufferers.

“The commuter car parks for Tuggerah, Ourimbah, Woy Woy and Wyong have already been announced prior to this budget.

“The media release on today’s budget says in relation to Police,

“A new Police Station: $8.9 million to start construction on the new Wyong Police Station.”

“These works were first promised in 2004 and last years budget allocated $7 million. In fact the Government spent only $921,000. So the so called $8.9 million this year is just carrying forward $6 million allocated last year and the completion date promised for 2009 has now been pushed back to 2011; two more years of announcements for Della.

“Labor’s ‘Education Revolution’ has missed the Central Coast.

“Out of $14.1 billion in the education budget the only thing the Central Coast received was the $25 million for Kariong High School promised in last years budget announcements and $5.8 million for a new gym and library at two schools. This is simply not enough.

“This government is simply about spin and so is the Budget.

“The budget papers also list Lisarow public school under ‘Major Work: New Works’. There is no funding allocated to it, no start date or finish date and no estimated cost.

“This budget fails to deliver anything for the Central Coast.

“The Central Coast has a population of nearly 320,000 people with an estimated further 60,000 over the next 15 years – yet it receives nothing from the Labor Government year after year.

“No funding for the HMAS Adelaide. No funding for Tuggerah Lakes. No funding for the Mardi to Mangrove Missing Link Pipeline and no funding for new Police, Fire or Ambulance Stations.

“Labor does not care about the Central Coast, and its Labor Members continue to remain silent and take the Coasts residents for granted,” said Mr Hartcher.