NSW Opposition leader Luke Foley said if elected in March his party is committed to re-opening the Newcastle rail line.
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He made the promise in Maitland while meeting Labor candidate for Upper Hunter Martin Rush and Labor candidate for Maitland Jenny Aitchison.
“I don’t want Newcastle to be the only First World city anywhere on this planet that’s ripping up rail infrastructure. It’s madness,” Luke Foley told the Hunter Valley News.
The 44-year-old Upper House MP was elected unopposed last week and is expected to become the new pre-selected Labor candidate for the Lower House seat of Auburn on January 17 after Labor MP Barbara Perry announced she won’t recontest the seat.
While in the Hunter, Mr Foley called on NSW Premier Mike Baird to respect the decision of the Supreme Court in the Newcastle rail line development case.
“The courts have said that the [NSW] Government’s signature policy for the state’s second city is predicated on an illegal act,” he said.
“The government should just stop, respect the court, keep the rail infrastructure and reinstate rail services to the heart of the city.”
Mr Foley said the transport arrangements put in place since Boxing Day were having a negative effect on commuters who live in the Dungog, Muswellbrook and Scone areas.
“What’s happening at the moment is people are having to get off at Hamilton, change to a bus to get to the heart of the city and it's adding 20 minutes,” he said.
The Upper Hunter Labor candidate, Mr Rush, said he wants to see an integrated transport plan for the Hunter.
“After you’ve got the regional plan you then prioritise the elements, based on need and on cost and on benefits, and then you fund it,” he said.
Labor’s new leader was also asked for his policy plans for the Singleton and Muswellbrook bypasses and for the ageing Muswellbrook District Hospital.
He conceded after only three days as leader he had not had time to be properly backgrounded on the infrastructure issues.
“What I’ve committed to is to release Labor’s infrastructure policy early in the campaign, after Australia Day and after schools return,” Mr Foley said.
“I want a state government that invests in schools and hospitals [because] we've seen $4.7 billion in cuts.”