Road, rail, transport underpin $108bn Covid recovery spend

The government’s infrastructure program continues to be the backbone of the state’s remarkable recovery, with $108bn of works in the pipeline.

The government’s infrastructure program continues to be the backbone of the state’s remarkable recovery, with $108bn of works in the pipeline and more jobs added than were lost during the pandemic.

Road, rail and other transport projects account for 65 per cent of this investment, with more than $70bn to be spent over four years in what Transport Minister Andrew Constance describes as the largest transport infrastructure outlay the nation has seen.

“As we continue to mitigate the impact of Covid-19, transport remains the engine room of job creation in NSW,” he said.

As well as trying to ease congestion on Sydney’s roads, the focus is on a “future-proofed” public transport network.

Major spending includes $3.1bn to continue construction of the Sydney Metro City and Southwest, linking Chatswood and Bankstown, and $2.9bn to progress the Sydney Metro West, providing faster journeys between Westmead and the Sydney CBD. The final stages of the WestConnex Motorway, the M4-M5 link tunnels and Rozelle Interchange are due by 2023 at a cost of $1.2bn. The M6 stage 1 extension will proceed at a cost of $2.7bn over four years, and the Great Western Highway Upgrade will receive $2bn.

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the government would use sustainable levels of debt and its “asset recycling program” to help fund the projects. That would include the sale of the state’s 49 per cent share of WestConnex and “a potential monetisation of Lotteries duty”.

In a further bid to push the uptake of electric vehicles, $171m has been committed to electric vehicle charging infrastructure over the next four years for ultra-fast chargers on commuter corridors.

After transport, the biggest infrastructure spending is on education, with $2.1bn over the next four years to include the construction or upgrading of 44 schools.

A further $10.8bn will go to delivering hospitals and health facilities, including $1.3bn for the Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital and Community Health Services Redevelopment.

The other big ticket item is “Australia’s first 22nd century city”, Bradfield, to be built on the doorstep of the new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport. More than $1bn will be spent activating the project, with $870m to prepare the site for the Bradfield City Centre, which is intended to connect businesses to the world through the new airport. Bradfield is expected to support up to 17,600 high-skilled jobs, and $48m has been set aside to build a high tech research facility.

The 23km new metro railway, from St Marys through to Bradford City and the Nancy-Bird Walton airport is expected to provide a major economic stimulus for Western Sydney, supporting more than 14,000 jobs during construction.