It is too early for Labor to commit to installing lifts at Unanderra station if elected, said shadow transport spokeswoman Penny Sharpe.
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This is despite committing to a review of the South Coast train timetable should Labor win the March 2015 election.
Instead, Ms Sharpe said she expected the Unanderra community would know the party’s stance on the lifts by the time of the election campaign.
The platform at Unanderra station can only be reached by walking up one set of stairs and then down another.
This makes it impossible for people in wheelchairs to use the station, but it is also difficult for senior citizens, parents with prams or those with heavy bags.
The previous Labor government pledged to build the lifts in 2009, but was voted out and the project left uncompleted.
Ms Sharpe said she was looking into the Transport Access Program as she had concerns about the transparency of how stations were selected.
‘‘Unanderra is obviously very much on the radar,’’ Ms Sharpe said.
‘‘It’s been something the community has campaigned on for a very long time.
‘‘We’re looking at all of them but I’m not in a position to make any firm commitment about them at this point, except to say I’m looking for more transparency in that program and we’re looking at which ones we would like to commit to in what order.’’
Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian has said on several occasions that the TAP projects were based on a range of criteria, including current and future patronage, important services such as hospitals or educational facilities nearby, and the accessibility of other nearby interchanges and facilities.
The station is in Noreen Hay’s Wollongong electorate and she has been lobbying for the lifts for several years.
Ms Hay said, if Labor won the election, she expected the lifts would be built.
‘‘Absolutely, because while Labor was in government, Labor gave that commitment to the community and to me as the local MP, so I would expect Labor to uphold that commitment,’’ Ms Hay said.
But, until then, she said she would still push the Liberal government to fund the project.
‘‘I’m wearing a path to everyone’s door on this issue non-stop right now,’’ she said.
‘‘No one should feel safe from me about those lifts. Someone said to me just recently they can imagine that being on my headstone.
‘‘They are the number one priority for me, those easy access lifts at Unanderra.’’
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