In an opinion piece for the Daily Telegraph, Mr Abbott said the Coalition would fund the following commitments in New South Wales yet more uncosted, undeliverable and unaffordable promises that add to the Coalitions $70 billion black hole.
Tony Abbott pledged that he would:
- Build the M4 East from the Anzac Bridge to the expressway at Strathfield.
- Extend the expressway from Hornsby to the M2
- Link a widened M5 to the expressway at Heathcote
- Upgrade the road from Port Botany to the west
- Build a North West Rail Link
- Build a road tunnel under Mosman
- Duplicate the Pacific Highway.
But for all these promises, Mr Abbott did not provide any detail about how much these measures will cost, and more importantly, did not explain how he will pay for them.
Preliminary indications suggest that these projects could cost upwards of $50 billion.
This is hardly small change, and these sorts of flippant promises confirm that the Opposition doesnt have the economic credibility to be in government.
Since August last year, the Opposition has refused to explain what services theyll cut from the budget to fund their $70 billion black hole, which just continues to increase.
It is reckless and dishonest to make promises to NSW residents you know you cant pay for.
In contrast, the Gillard Government is delivering $8.5 billion to improve NSWs transport infrastructure which is more than double what the Howard Government spent over a similar period of time and we are negotiating with the NSW government to put in place a fully-funded plan to complete the duplication of the Pacific Highway by 2016, with work already well underway on this large and complex project.
The Gillard Government continues to take a responsible approach to budget management; all Mr Abbott has managed to do today is confirm his economic recklessness.
