Election 2022: Phillip’s blasts Constance on Nowra bypass at campaign launch

Fiona Phillips has hit back at the State Government over a planned funding boost for the Nowra bypass, telling reporters the project should have been built decades ago.

Fiona Phillips has taken no time in lambasting her Liberal rival Andrew Constance, telling the press the former Transport Minister had failed to deliver the Nowra bypass amid renewed budget commitments.

Mr Constance, the Liberal candidate for Gilmore, announced on Tuesday $40 million in funding from the State and Federal Governments for the commencement of work on the new south coast road.

“After many decades, not enough work has been done,” Mr Constance said in a Facebook video.

“The $40 million is about getting the right planning undertaken to get on with this incredible job.

“Nowra has become one big choke point, and we need to get on with that.”

Mr Constance said he was unsure what a planned $5 million dollar commitment to the route by Labor would be used for, as “you don’t build infrastructure that way.”

“You have got to have a strategic partnership between the state and the Commonwealth,” he said.

Launching her campaign outside the Nowra School of Arts on Wednesday, Ms Phillips echoed some of her opponent’s talking points, but instead blamed the delay of the project on the State Government.

“It shouldn’t be political, but the government should have started the Nowra bypass decades ago,” Ms Phillips said.

Gilmore candidate Fiona Phillips. Picture: Nathan Schmidt

“There’s no surprise that Andrew Constance has just all of a sudden piped up and found the Nowra bypass, (before the election).”

Ms Phillips said she had campaigned along with the community for the Nowra bypass for years, including organising a petition she said garnered thousands of signatures.

“I’ve lived here all my life, and nothing has been done by the Coalition Government in almost a decade on the Nowra bypass,” Ms Phillips said.

The former dairy farmer said Labor led on the announcement on the Nowra bypass, but when pressed on why Labor had committed less than the Liberals, said those funds were just the “starting point”.

“Where has Mr Constance been, the Minister for Transport?” Ms Phillips said.

“The Nowra bypass was not even in the NSW Government Illawarra-Shoalhaven Regional Transport plan.

“(Labor’s commitment) is what the Shoalhaven Council have asked for for their strategic options.

“Any government, whoever is in power, should be getting on with the Nowra bypass.”

Former Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek was in attendance at Wednesday's launch, and told reporters Ms Phillips had led on the bypass and that Mr Constance was “scrambling to catch up”.

“Andrew Constance is trying to con people into voting for him,” she said.

“Andrew Constance shows up that five minutes to midnight and says ‘oh let‘s do something about our bypass’. This is the man who was a Minister in a state government …”

Ms Plibersek said the State Government could have built this bypass during Mr Constance's tenure.

“There was no interest in it. No plan for it. Never set money aside for it,” she said.

“He is now trying to join the Morrison government that’s been in office for almost a decade. If the Morrison government had wanted to build this road at any time, they could have done it sometime during the last decade that they’ve been in office.

“But, like everything Scott Morrison does, it’s too little too late.”

Infrastructure projects across the south coast have become a key election issue for residents in Gilmore, with long-gestating bypass and highway upgrades in Milton-Ulladulla and Moruya receiving new funding.

In the federal budget, the Coalition Government promised an addition $352 million for the new road past the popular seaside tourist towns of Ulladulla, Mollymook, and Milton.

The windfall for the now $940 million project drew praise from both Mr Constance and Ms Phillips, but also raised renewed concerns for the future of an interconnected town among locals.

In recent days, Mr Constance has hit out at what he called a “nasty” letter drop campaign b y the Labor camp, positioning his party’s platform as being a “positive plan” for Gilmore.

“I delivered $3.5 billion into local roads and the Princes Highway including Albion Park bypass, Berry to Bomaderry, Nowra bridge, and Batemans Bay bridge,” Mr Constance said.

“I generated 130,000 jobs as Minister, delivered 48,000 new weekly transport services including to the south coast. My focus is a positive election campaign about my positive plan for Gilmore. It’s about our community!”

In a separate post: “So next time Labor and the union bosses want to take cheap shots and be negative, I’m happy to stand on my delivery record for NSW.”