Sam Farraway tells Albanese to ‘stump up’ Nowra bypass funds

Labor’s Fiona Phillips has accused the NSW Government of failing to fulfil its side of the $40 million planning phase for the Nowra bypass project, after an $8 million pledge was not included in the 2022 state budget.

Labor’s Fiona Phillips has slammed the NSW Government for “playing politics” in the face of accusations that an $8 million pledge to help fund planning for the new Nowra bypass will not be fulfilled after it was left out of the 2022 state budget.

The budget, which was handed down in June, included more than $2.1 billion in pledges to a raft of road projects in Milton-Ulladulla and Jervis Bay, as well as for the Nowra bridge, and is the last budget before voters return to the polls next year.

“I find it astonishing that instead of explaining to our community why the NSW Government has chosen not to honour its commitment (to the Nowra bypass project), NSW Transport Minister Sam Farraway is playing politics instead,” Ms Phillips said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The Albanese Labor Government will absolutely be delivering on our commitment for the bypass.

“I promised the community we will get it started, and we will.”

The commitment forms part of an 80/20 split between the Federal and State Governments to fund the $40 million planning phase, and was announced by Mr Farraway and then-Gilmore candidate Andrew Constance in Nowra earlier this year.

At the time, Ms Phillips labelled the Liberal party’s commitment as a “con job” after months of campaigning for the bypass.

Labor initially pledged only $5 million to the project by comparison, which Ms Phillips said was what was requested by the local Shoalhaven City Council, before later matching the $32 million pledged by the then-Morrison government.

In a statement, Mr Farraway said: “Ms Phillips had a light bulb realisation that it was a good commitment and went on to match it.

“However the new Federal Labor Government has yet to honour their 80 per cent of the election commitment.

“I’ve been very clear, our commitment has not changed – Labor’s commitment obviously has.

“Our $8 million is there if the Federal Labor Government stump up the 80 per cent.

“Might be best if the Member for Gilmore sticks to her own advice and rather than playing politics with roads, be a leader and start talking to her colleagues to get this funding and, more importantly, allow us to get the planning underway for this project.”

NSW Transport Minister Sam Farraway.

Mr Farraway claimed the former Labor Government left NSW with an infrastructure backlog of $30 billion after the change in government more than a decade ago, following 16 years of Labor leadership in the state.

“They had no plan to build our state then and they don’t have a plan to build our state now,” he said.

“By contrast, the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government and the former Commonwealth Liberal and Nationals Government committed $5.5 billion to upgrade the Princes Highway from Albion Park to the Victorian border since 2011.”

Mr Constance, who was narrowly beaten out by the incumbent Ms Phillips in May’s Federal Election, touted during the campaign his commitment to large-scale infrastructure projects in the region, including those started during his term as transport minister.

“This funding is about getting the right planning undertaken,” said Mr Constance in April.

Then-Gilmore candidate Andrew Constance with former Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Nowra. Picture: Jason Edwards

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

The funds would be used in the initial planning stage of the project, including environmental assessments and preliminary design work.

In nearby Milton, more than $400 million has been pledged by the NSW Government for the Milton-Ulladulla bypass.

Further south, commitments have also been made for a bypass route past Moruya, south of Batemans Bay.