State Election 2019: Labor MP promises lifts for Doonside or he’ll resign

Frustrated residents have ramped up their campaign for improved access at Doonside station, while Blacktown Labor MP Stephen Bali has promised voters lifts or he will resign.

Frustrated residents ramp up their fight for improved access at Doonside station ahead of this month's state election.

Frustrated residents have ramped up their campaign for improved access at Doonside station at a rally this week, receiving promises from both sides of politics.

Speaking at the rally in Doonside on Wednesday, March 6, Blacktown state Labor MP and Mayor Stephen Bali pledged to build lifts at the station if Labor were to win government.

“Labor will fund Doonside lifts and if they don’t, I will resign,” Mr Bali said.

“I said I would not contest as a Labor candidate unless I had a commitment that in the first term of a Labor Government that the Doonside lifts would be built.”

Liberal state candidate for Blacktown Allan Green also pledged to push for immediate upgrades to the station.

“I will certainly do my best to ensure it gets a higher priority,” Mr Green said.

“I will be sending off strongly-worded letters to the Premier and the Minister for Transport asking them to immediately give (Doonside) a higher position in the priority order.

“I support this one in being upgraded as soon as possible.”

A community-led campaign to have the station upgraded has pressured both Labor and Liberal State Governments for more than 25 years.

Anger escalated last year when Doonside was dropped from the State Government’s Transport Access Program, which coordinates upgrades at stations across the state’s train network.

In 2017, a $960,000 station facelift, which included minor repair work, seat replacements and a fresh coat of paint, did little to quell residents’ frustrations.

Out in force at Wednesday’s rally were Doonside Senior Citizens and the Filipino Labor Alliance.

Members of the Filipino Labor Alliance at a rally for improved access at Doonside station.

Alliance president Jojo Laquian said he considered the continued “snubbing” of Doonside by consecutive governments as “discrimination”.

“This station is not equipped to cater for the growing population and facilities and we consider it discrimination,” Mr Laquian said.

“With the Bungarribee precinct we need more facilities to be delivered here and Doonside will be the nearest station to Sydney Zoo.”

A Transport for NSW spokeswoman told the Blacktown Advocate in February that: “Doonside [would] continue to be considered as a future project within the Transport Access Program”.