Northern Beaches Infrastructure 
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| Wednesday, 07 November 2007 | ||||||
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Mr MIKE BAIRD (Manly) [8.04 p.m.]: I speak tonight about the lack of infrastructure on the northern beaches and the lack of planning that is clearly evident on the part of the Iemma Government. Recently I received an email from a constituent who has lived in Seaforth for 26 years. He wrote: Development has continued on the Northern Beaches with no tangible improvements in public transport or road works. Nor is there any sign that sensible, holistic planning is being considered at State Government level. It seems absurd to keep developing this side of the Spit Bridge with new accommodation and commercial premises while the traffic/transport issues deteriorate. As for the roads, it takes people more than an hour to travel by road from Manly to the city. That is an increase in travelling time of more than 10 minutes over the past 10 years. I do not need to go into detail about The Spit Bridge fiasco. There has been no investment in our roads. The Department of Planning has advanced the simple proposition that Manly must accommodate an extra 2,400 dwellings over the next 25 years. Warringah, which extends over the second half of my electorate, is being asked to accommodate an extra 10,300 dwellings. Some 30,000 or 40,000 people will be asked to relocate to an area with inadequate infrastructure. I have a question for the Iemma Government. If we are being asked to absorb this population increase, how will the Government deliver the necessary infrastructure? Seaforth TAFE closed in 1999 and the issue remains unresolved to this day. There is a plan to redevelop the site, and Landcom and members of the local community have had input into that plan. But there is also a clear proposal to put housing on the site. I congratulate the council on deciding to hold a plebiscite to reach this important decision. The community should certainly have a say about whether the site should be used for education—many feel very strongly about that and it is a tragedy that the thriving TAFE was closed in 1999—or for a new housing development. Whatever the outcome, if the community decides to go ahead with the development where is the infrastructure to support it? We must state clearly that the Government must invest all money from that development—perhaps $6 million or $10 million—in our schools. Manly Vale Public School has been trying to replace demountables for more than 12 years. The classrooms at Seaforth Public School have not been painted for 14 years. Balgowlah North Public School needs a new administration block and car park, and I have already spoken about Curl Curl North Public School. Then there are the potholes on The Spit Bridge. Forget about widening the bridge: the Government should fix the 200 potholes on both sides of the road. Far from devising a holistic solution, we cannot even pave our roads. How can we be asked to absorb any population growth when basic infrastructure is not being delivered? Where did the Minister for Roads spend the $59 million he allocated to the project to widen The Spit Bridge instead of investing it in infrastructure and public transport? Where did the money go? I asked that question specifically of the Minister and he referred me to the Roads budget. The Roads budget contains nothing for the people of the northern beaches. How can the Government ask the northern beaches to accommodate additional housing when basic infrastructure is not being delivered? The Government must take a holistic approach to planning and deliver infrastructure before more people arrive. That is a basic premise that is not being followed. As to public transport, I have already spoken about the ferries and the roads but 270 bus services were cancelled in the Manly area last year alone. The Government has no interest in buses or in supporting schools in the area, and we are still waiting for a timetable for the construction of the new hospital. Yet the Government is asking the area to absorb more people. Until the Government invests in the infrastructure that the community so richly deserves we should not be asked to accommodate any more housing development.
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