Week in Review & Deep dive into Sydney Metro West
With the Federal and NSW Parliament not sitting this week there wasn’t much policy news to report. However, as the old saying goes… while Parliament is away the politicians will play. It seems everyone was at Flemington at some point this week, either on the Furphy Deck at Derby Day or in Birdcage’s Tabcorp marquee on Cup Day.
In other news this week, Labor received a 90 page report prepared by Jay Weatherill and The Hon Craig Emerson on how it lost the unlosable election and the Liberal Party said their final goodbye to former Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declared he is now “actively considering” holding a royal commission into the country’s veteran suicide crisis. Morrison told Sky News that more needed to be done to prepare soldiers for their transition from military to civilian life.
Tuesday
Cladding – A list of 444 buildings across NSW potentially clad in flammable material has been released to the NSW Parliament, however it will not be shown to the public after the government deemed the document a security risk.
Getting giddy – Bill Shorten finally had a win this year, picking Melbourne Cup victor Vow and Declare. It seems that politics was put aside for the day, with both sides enjoying Flemington Birdcage’s Tabcorp marquee. Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, Nationals Deputy Leader Bridget McKenzie, Foreign Minister Marise Payne with her partner, NSW Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres, Communication Minister Paul Fletcher, Cities Minister Alan Tudge, Education Minister Dan Tehan, Health Minister Greg Hunt, Assistant Families Minister Michelle Landry, Veterans Affairs Minister Darren Chester and state Labor’s health spokesman Ryan Park.
Wednesday
More trams, less lockouts – The Berejiklian government is prepared to run more light rail services through the CBD at night as part of its push to revive nightlife and the night-time economy once the lockout laws are relaxed. Transport Minister Andrew Constance said the NSW government would increase services "to meet the needs of the night time economy if required". The government is preparing for the light rail to open before Christmas, and has also indicated it would also like the 1.30am lockout laws in the CBD scrapped before the end of the year.
Reverend Nile stares down second attempt to oust him – Parliament oldest member has stared down another attempt to force him from politics just five months after a teenage member of the Christian Democratic Party (CDP) tried to engineer a coup against him. Nile has repeatedly said he would remain in NSW Parliament as long as he remained healthy and the decision to leave would only "be made by God".
Thursday
Victoria eclipses NSW in live music ticket sales – For the first time Victoria has replaced NSW as the country's biggest market for contemporary live music. Victoria reaped more than $407 million from almost 3.4 million ticket sales in 2018 while NSW netted $340 million from 3.2 million sales.
Farwell Tony Abbott – Over 1000 people gathered for dinner to honour Tony Abbott's 25 years in politics. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Liberal stalwart John Howard and 2GB broadcaster Alan Jones, who was also the event's master of ceremonies, spoke in tribute of the former Prime Minister, with Abbott also receiving a lifetime service award. Among those seated at the head table with Abbott, Morrison and Howard were Liberal MP Kevin Andrews, Liberal Senator Eric Abetz and former Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss. Abbott was joined by a healthy delegation of NSW members including Families Minister Gareth Ward, federal MP for Mackellar Jason Falinski, Manly state MP James Griffin and North Shore state MP Felicity Wilson.
Shorten acknowledges flaws in campaign messaging – Former Labor leader Bill Shorten has conceded he should have campaigned with "fewer messages" and taken a different approach on franking credits, the tax reform that infuriated older Australians who stood to lose thousands of dollars. Shorten’s comments came in a statement on Thursday morning ahead of the release of the formal election review.
Friday
NSW deputy coroner releases findings from festival drug inquest – The NSW deputy coroner has urged for the introduction of pill testing and no more sniffer dogs at festivals in a landmark report. Over 16 days of hearings, deputy state coroner Harriet Grahame examined the deaths of six people aged between 18 and 23 at events in the state over an almost two-year period. On Friday Grahame called for sweeping reforms, including sanctioned pill testing at festivals based on the “compelling” evidence that it would boost safety and could encourage “behavioural change” among recreational drug users. Other recommendations were that strip searches be limited to those individuals suspected of supply illicit drugs at public events. A cross-party roundtable made up of Green MLC Cate Faehrmann, Independent MP Alex Greenwich, Labor MP Jo Haylen and Liberal MLC Shayne Mallard welcomed the deputy coroner’s findings.
In November 2016, the NSW Government announced Sydney Metro West – the city’s next underground metro railway. The once-in-a-century infrastructure investment will transform the city for generations to come, connecting Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD. Metro west will double rail capacity between these two areas, and will slash the travel time between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD to 20 minutes.
Work on Metro West is expected to start next year and tunnel boring machines will enter the ground in 2022, with the Government expecting the new train line to be open to the public by 2030.The underground train will include stops at Westmead, Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park, North Strathfield, Burwood North, Five Dock and the Bays Precinct, with the State Government is also considering further stops at Rydalmere and Pyrmont.
To complete the project the government will acquire 93 business and 23 residential properties.
Transport Minister Andrew Constance said the project will take pressure off the T1 Western Line which, along with the T9 Northern Line, is expected to reach capacity within the next decade. Constance also said the project would create around 10,000 direct and 70,000 indirect jobs.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the line would "bust congestion" and said it would slash travel times between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD by 20 minutes, stating "The western Sydney Metro will fundamentally change how we get around our city for generations to come."
To silence critics, Berejiklian pointed to the success of North West Metro that opened earlier this year, stating that "If anybody has any doubts ... look at the North West Metro".
The need for the project
Sydney will experience significant population and employment growth in the coming decades. Investment in public transport will play an important role in supporting this growth and ensuring Sydney’s future liveability.
This new stand-alone metro will become the easiest and fastest journey between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD, moving more than 40,000 people an hour in each will free up capacity on existing suburban rail to the west, increasing reliability of services to and from areas like Blacktown, Penrith and the Blue Mountains.
The Sydney Metro West project team will develop detailed planning and environmental assessment documents for further public exhibition and community consultation.
An Environmental Impact Statement for the first stage of the project – Westmead to The Bays, and Sydney CBD – will be placed on public exhibition. Further stages of Sydney Metro West will be assessed in subsequent Environmental Impact Statements.
Currently, the NSW Government has released a Notice of Intended Procurement, for Sydney Metro West tunnels, stations and excavation.
