NSW Roads Minister John Graham is demanding the federal government “move heaven and earth” to fix a $110 million-plus funding hole for a critical motorway junction for Western Sydney Airport.
A day after the Commonwealth axed funding for 17 road and rail projects in NSW, including the interchange connecting the M12 to the M7 motorway, Graham said he did not want to impose tolls on a new motorway to the airport to plug a gap left by the federal government.
“The state government doesn’t want to impose new tolls. We expect them to move heaven and earth to fix this funding. We need a solution to this project,” he said on the sidelines of a Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue conference.
Construction started on the $440 million M12-M7 interchange in August, after the previous NSW Coalition government struck a deal last year with Transurban to keep tolls on the M7 for an extra three years in return for work on the motorway junction.
Under the arrangements, Graham said the Commonwealth was to have contributed just over $110 million that was “crucial to being able to complete this work”.
The interchange at Cecil Hills will connect the M7 to the 16-kilometre M12, which will link to the Northern Road at Luddenham and provide motorists with direct access to the new international airport.
NSW Roads Minister John Graham.Credit: Michael Quelch
Graham said any withdrawal by the federal government of funding amounted to “cost-shifting” onto the state.
The Commonwealth’s infrastructure cuts have left a $1.4 billion funding shortfall in the state’s roads and public transport projects over the next four years, which includes commuter car parks at St Marys and Kingswood in Sydney’s west, and at Woy Woy on the Central Coast.
While agreeing that the M12-M7 interchange would be built, Graham said there were “no guarantees” about the future of the other projects without funding for them from the Commonwealth.
Graham said he had spoken to federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King since she revealed the nationwide funding changes on Thursday, but he declined to elaborate on their discussions.
King acknowledged on Thursday that the interchange was an “important” project, but said there were additional “cost pressures” that needed to be worked through.
A spokesperson for the minister said on Friday that the interchange was part of a broader agreement between the state government and Transurban to which the Commonwealth “is not a party”.
NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the government was disappointed with the Commonwealth’s approach when it came to funding for western Sydney.
“We need these critical transport links, particularly the M12-M7. The airport will open in 2026, and we need the transport links to get people in and out,” she said.
Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue chief executive Adam Leto said the new airport at Badgerys Creek needed the roads and public transport to ensure it was a success from day one. “The interchange is too far progressed for the federal government to turn its back on western Sydney now,” he said.
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