Crime: The biggest losers of Gladys Berejiklian’s election win
The biggest losers of the election will be criminal gangs and thugs who prey on small businesses in Western Sydney as the Berejiklian government begins bolstering the state’s police service.
CRIME
The biggest losers of the election will be criminal gangs and thugs who prey on small businesses in Western Sydney as the Berejiklian government begins bolstering the state’s police service.
Work is already underway for the training of an extra 1500 front line officers who will be spread across the state in the single biggest NSW Police recruitment drive in three decades.
The government will also address a debacle uncovered by The Daily Telegraph last year where offenders on the Child Protection Register were not effectively being monitored.
Each of the state’s 58 police commands will be given a specialist officer to monitor those on the list to prevent the issue from happening again.
Bathurst and Bourke stations will also be dramatically improved through a $100 million infrastructure package which will also create new police stations in Bega, Goulburn and Jindabyne.
Work will also begin on a new $35 million training facility in Dubbo to ensure new officers have the sharpest skills in the country.
In addition to the record $3.9 billion budget for NSW Police, the wider community will be able to apply for grants to build closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras around businesses or community centres to deter crime.
The government has set aside $5 million to build 1000 cameras and the rollout will begin in April at Blacktown, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury, Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Liverpool, Parramatta, Penrith and Wollondilly.
Future festival goers will be attending among the safest events in the world next summer with the Berejiklian government continuing ahead with requirements for “high risk” music festivals to provide teams of critical care doctors who are proven to save lives.
The government will maintain its strong anti-pill testing stance after securing a mandate on the issue from NSW voters.
REGIONS
Re-elected premier Gladys Berejiklian has promised a renewed focus on drought-ravaged bush communities following her government’s win, including pouring billions into upgrading roads, building new water infrastructure and improving internet coverage.
It comes after the Nationals lost the two traditionally safe seats of Murray and Barwon to the Shooters, Farmers and Fishers party based on a perception the Coalition was too beholden to interests in Sydney and also water mismanagement after mass fish deaths at the Menindee Lakes.
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The Berejiklian government will set aside an extra $1 billion into repairing roads and bridges across regional NSW. The money will also cover works to replace the worst timber bridges still in use in the state.
Meanwhile, the state government will move to relieve bush councils and take responsibility of more than 15,000km of pothole-plagued regional roads, removing the burden from local ratepayers to ensure roads are kept in good condition.
The Nationals have also committed billions of dollars into droughtproofing regional communities after the major fish kills in the Menindee Lakes sent shockwaves through the state.
The government will use the $4.2 billion Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund — money from selling NSW’s stake in the Snowy Hydro Scheme — to invest in regional dams, pipelines and weirs.
Another $1.4 billion will be spent on water security projects, including raising Wyangala Dam’s wall in the southwestern slopes region.
Meanwhile, the government will also invest more than $400 million into improving internet reliability and stamping out mobile black spots in the bush.
This investment — the biggest by any statement government into internet usage in regional Australia — will include building mobile black spot towers to improve texting and phoning services in remote areas.
Healthcare is also a major issue to bush communities, with many having to travel large distances to receive adequate care. The Nationals promised an extra 3700 doctors, nurses, midwives and health workers to be employed in regional cities and towns, along with 64 dedicated palliative care nurses.
PROMISES FOR NSW
► Investing $1 billion into fixing pothole-plagued regional roads and replacing old bridges
► Spending more than $5.6 billion to droughtproof regional communities by investing in water infrastructure projects including dams, pipelines and weirs.
► Committing $400 million to improve internet services and stamp out mobile phone black spots in remote areas
► Deliver 3700 doctors and nurses along with 64 palliative care nurses to regional cities and towns.
ROADS AND CONGESTION
EXCLUSIVE: Motorists across Sydney and the Central Coast will benefit from a $253 million investment in busting congestion on major roads, as the government moves to shore up support ahead of the election.
The package includes upgrades at significant traffic pinch points in Eastwood, Kirrawee and Sydney Olympic Park as well as investment in commuter carparks.
“People living in Sydney know better than anyone the very real impacts road congestion has on people’s lives and we are doing something about the pinch points and bottlenecks at the heart of the problem,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
“This is a significant investment in tackling the congestion hot spots that are costing people precious time and losing businesses money.”
The money comes from the $1 billion urban congestion fund and will be included in Tuesday’s federal Budget. The biggest upgrade is $95 million to upgrade the Horsley Drive in the city’s southwest. It comes just weeks after NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced a $450 million congestion-busting package as part of her state election promises, which also tackled other segments of the Horsley Drive.
Wednesday’s package will also target widening King Georges Rd in the city’s south, and upgrades to Homebush Bay Drive, which includes trying to improve traffic flow at Australia Ave and Underwood Rd.
Other upgrades include Blaxland Rd at the Balaclava Rd intersection in Eastwood, the Princes Hwy at Waratah St in Kirrawee and commuter carpark upgrades at Panania, Hurstville, Gosford and Woy Woy.
Congestion and overdevelopment have been identified in internal Liberal Party polling as key issues that grate on voters and the state government also tried to tackle the issue ahead of last weekend’s election.
Minister for Cities Alan Tudge said the fund aimed to address congestion where it hurt most.
“This is not only the major freeways but the local pinch points which cause daily headaches to commuters,” Mr Tudge said. “The package shows we are not slowing down in NSW.”
The federal government has also invested in a slew of state infrastructure products such as WestConnex, NorthConnex, the M1 productivity package, and the new second airport at Badgerys Creek Creek.
Infrastructure investment in NSW is expected to be a key push in the Coalition’s election campaign in the city.
— Anna Caldwell, State political editor
ENERGY COSTS
To combat rising electricity prices the newly elected Liberal/National government will help 300,000 families install solar panels and give 130,000 self-funded retirees a $200 rebate.
Owner-occupier households with an annual income of up to $180,000 will be able to apply for an interest-free loan worth up to $14,000 to fund the installation of solar panels and a battery.
The panels will help a family with an electricity bill of $2000 per year save about $285 while they are paying off the loan. These savings could increase to $2000 per year once the loan is repaid.
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