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The Iemma Government knew the cost to widen the Spit Bridge far exceeded its estimates one month before the State Election and yet it did not announce this to the public until one month after it was re-elected, said Manly MP Mike Baird who has referred the matter to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).
“In May last year the Minister for Roads told Northern Beaches residents the Iemma Government would not fulfil its election promise to widen the Spit Bridge as ‘the costs for this project now just don’t stack up’*,” Mr Baird said.
“We now know – thanks to documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws – that the Iemma Government knew in February the project costs were ‘markedly higher than the RTA’s estimate’**, yet it chose to hide this news from the voting public until it was safely back in power.
“In light of this information, I have written to the Commissioner of ICAC to request an investigation on the basis of corrupt conduct,” Mr Baird said.
“It is easy to become desensitised to the constant incompetence of the NSW Government, however this is serious. It is a case of electoral fraud.
“For many years Northern Beaches commuters have had to suffer years of grand promises on the Spit but no action.
“This week we have seen motorists stranded for up to three hours due to a mechanical fault preventing the Bridge from closing.
“The issue has now moved beyond a joke into pure, white rage. The Iemma Government has got away with hollow announcements for too long – people are crying out for real action to fix problems rather than media headlines.
“We are not holding our breath for the Government to deliver on a Spit solution. Their working group has not come up with one recommendation in more than a year. We will be delivering our own plan, centred around public transport, this year,” Mr Baird said.
MEDIA: Lisa Harrington - 0406 726 880
* Minister for Roads, Eric Roozendaal: “The costs for this project now just don’t stack up” (Sydney Morning Herald 1 May 2007)
** RTA ‘Spit Bridge Widening – Alliance Proposal’ 15 February 2007: “The tenders for the Spit Bridge Widening project closed on the 5th December 2006… the prices are markedly higher than the RTA’s estimate.”
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