Kiama MP Gareth Ward has hit back over claims the Albion Park Rail Bypass was at risk due to problems with the leasing of Ausgrid electricity network.
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In August federal Treasurer Scott Morrison stepped in to block the 99-year lease of Ausgrid to Chinese and Hong Kong bidders, citing “national security concerns”.
This called into question the future of the bypass as $350 million of the $550 million in funding was coming from the poles and wires leasing.
On Thursday, the government announced IFM Investors and AustralianSuper had paid $16.189 billion for the Ausgrid lease, which was more than what pundits had expected.
Mr Ward responded to critics in the Labor party who said the Ausgrid issue would stop the bypass from going ahead.
“Well, there’s now 16.2 billion reasons to smile, which means that Albion Park Rail – which was always a certainty – remains a certainty,” Mr Ward said.
“I promised I’d deliver the Gerringong upgrade, the South Nowra upgrade and the Berry bypass and I’ve delivered all of them.”
Mr Ward said the bypass was a big investment for the Illawarra region.
“I don’t want to understate how important the Albion Park Rail Bypass is,” Mr Ward said.
“It is the largest election commitment that has ever been made in the history of the Illawarra. It’s the largest infrastructure project that we’ve seen in our region.”
Mr Ward said the $16.1 billion was “more than we had anticipated” and he’d be working to see the Illawarra got its share.
“I’ll be certainly advocating for more funds for the region over and above what we’ve seen to date and I’ll continue to do that,” he said.