It’s sometimes hard to work out whether Gareth Ward is a federal or state MP, and in many cases, a local government representative, given his penchant for interfering at all levels of government.
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In his latest blog he decides to involve himself in the development of the federal budget.
In his criticism of the Commonwealth Government, he fails to acquaint his readers with the fact that the NSW Treasurer has yet to post a budget surplus in managing the NSW budget.
He fails to also mention that the former NSW Labor Government delivered budget surpluses for every year since 2003-04 (except during the height of the global financial crisis in 2008-09) and left the NSW Liberals with a surplus in its last full year in office of $1.3 billion.
So poor has the NSW Treasurer’s stewardship of the budget been that his cooked-up black hole was found not even to be a pot-hole after an independent inquiry by the NSW Treasury.
Indeed, in October 2012, the NSW Auditor-General noted that the 2011/12 NSW budget had $1 billion more in it than Mike Baird had actually calculated.
The Auditor-General said that the variances appeared due to the “quality of the data and ability to make accurate projections”.
The NSW Liberals are so hard up managing the NSW budget that their only answer appear is to ask Tony Abbott to increase the rate and scope of the GST. Mr Abbott looks like he will oblige should he become Prime Minister in September.
Interestingly, Gareth Ward has highlighted a series of so-called investments that he has championed. Many of these initiatives, such as the Flinders station and upgrades at Dapto and Oak Flats are yet to start. Indeed each of them has been delayed by 12 months.
His claims of the construction of the cancer care centres at Wollongong and Shoalhaven as initiatives of the NSW Liberals is misleading. The facts are these two important health initiatives were funded by both the Commonwealth and former NSW Labor Governments.
The $86 million upgrade of the Wollongong Hospital was first allocated by the former NSW Government and only continued by the NSW Liberals over the budget forward estimates.
Finally, Gareth Ward laments that the Princes Highway did not receive funding in Tuesday’s federal budget. The Princes Highway has been a political football for too long.
The facts are that former Liberal premier Nick Greiner changed the designation of the road to a state road in 1991. It is not part of the National Land Transport Network. Roads that are, like the F6 Freeway, got $42 million in Tuesday’s budget.
Mr Ward and each of his Liberal colleagues said time and time again over 16 long years that the Princes Highway remains a state road and the responsibility of the NSW Government.
Despite his political point-scoring, Mr Ward was left red-faced in Thursday evening during Mr Abbott’s budget reply speech. Not a red cent was promised by his Federal leader to the upgrade of the Princes Highway if the Liberals are successful in September.
This argument over responsibility for the Princes Highway should now be settled for once and for all time by Mr Ward heeding these very wise words: “The Princes Highway is not a federal responsibility, neither a National Highway nor a designated Road of National Importance.” Tony Abbott said this in June 2003.
I’m happy to work co-operatively with Mr Ward to progress the upgrades of the Princes Highway, including starting the Albion Park Rail bypass.
But the juvenile politicking has got to stop at the same time.
Anna Watson is the State Member for Shellharbour.
