NSW Budget 2018: Macarthur region counts its wins
MACARTHUR region families are the winners in the State Government’s 2018 Budget.
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MACARTHUR region families are the winners in the State Government’s 2018 Budget.
Parents with young children are smiling about the preschool subsidy for three year olds, which can save them up to $800 a year.
Funding also has been announced for new primary and high schools at Edmondson Park and a new primary school at Gregory Hills.
The State Government have also set aside $59.5 million to build the new Western Sydney Centre of Innovation in Plant Sciences for a plant specimen bank at the Australian Botanic Garden, at Mt Annan.
Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton announced the project earlier this month, saying the project would create 350 new jobs.
Plants collected by Captain Cook’s botanists during his 1770 voyage are among the
1.4 million precious specimens to be moved from Sydney’s Botanical Gardens to the
new mega-herbarium.
A total of $438.9 million over the next year will go towards funding road upgrades to support the new Western Sydney Airport, including funding to support the construction of the remainder of Bringelly Rd and The Northern Rd between Narellan and Penrith.
Camden state Liberal MP Chris Patterson praised the Budget, under the guidance of Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Treasurer Dominic Perrottet, as “easing the cost of living”.
“We are the first state in the country’s history to provide access for all children to attend two years of preschool,” Mr Patterson said.
“Camden was one of the four or five electorates mentioned in the Treasurer’s speech so that is a real positive.”
Mr Patterson said the Liberal Government’s decision to cap increases to public service and politicians’ wages to 2.5 per cent enabled the surplus to go to schools, hospitals and police.
Campbelltown state Labor MP Greg Warren wasn’t as complimentary about the Budget.
“As sure as a Budget must be balanced, it must also be about priorities, but this Government and their Budget simply have the wrong priorities,” Mr Warren said.
“Under the Government’s own urban growth plans, our region is set to see hundreds of thousands of new residents in the coming years, but this Budget has no funding for the infrastructure and services needed to manage that growth.
“This Budget was an opportunity for the Government to reverse the cuts they’ve made over the last 8 years and invest in the infrastructure and services Campbelltown desperately needs, but their priorities are simply wrong.”