IT’S NOT THE FIRST bus or coach to be used to help spruik a political party’s policies, but the stunning big red Mercedes-Benz currently hitting the roads throughout NSW this week is seemingly getting plenty of attention.
NSW is about a year out from its next proposed State election in March, 2019, but that hasn’t stopped the Labor Opposition party, headed by Luke Foley MP, to embark on a state-wide Schools and Hospitals Before Stadiums Tour in a bright-red, three-axle, specially marked campaign charter coach.
Kicking off on day one at a rally at Padstow TAFE and then also a school in Chatswood, the tour is to oppose the Government’s proposed $2.7 billion stadium costs, an issue that seems to have split opinion amongst voters. The vehicle will visit key electorates around NSW, from Tweed on the far North Coast, Myall Lakes, several towns in the Hunter Valley, then west to Barwon, Dubbo, Bega, Queanbeyan and back through key Western Sydney seats.
His focus is said to be assessing the need for local schools and hospital services – instead of, “the Coalition government’s plan to spend billions of dollars on Sydney stadiums” – while also outlining the Government’s, “wrong priorities from wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on the Sydney light rail project and WestConnex toll road.”
Earlier in February, Minister Foley lead a protest meeting calling on the NSW Government to conduct an independent review of Newcastle Transport, “fix the problems with Newcastle Buses”, and further stated that, “selling off Newcastle Buses has left commuters stranded, late for work and frustrated.”
The Bus tour comes at a time when NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian recently unveiled the State’s infrastructure strategy for the next 20 years, which highlighted the F6 extension, Beaches Link, Western Harbour Tunnel, and the Sydney Metro West and North-South rail link in Western Sydney.
It also indicated a vision to upgrade public transport along Victoria and Parramatta Roads, plus trial on-demand ferry services in Sydney Harbour, to name a few.
Premier Berejiklian says when the Government promises a project, it delivers.
“Of the more than 700 projects linked to the 2012 plan, over 430 are complete, 200 are under construction and the rest are in the planning stage,” she said.