EDITORIAL
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Treasurer Mike Baird could not have been more clear when he said the $100 million from the sale (or lease) of Port Kembla was guaranteed to come to the Illawarra.
He was also clear when he promised that none of the money would be diverted to projects that were already committed.
His recent linking of the port privatisation to funding stages two and three of the Princes Highway upgrade, however, would have many people worried.
While it is promising that whichever company leases the port will have to pay for infrastructure upgrades – likely to be roads and rail in the surrounding area – the figure of $5 million that has been mentioned will not go very far.
The Treasurer has made it clear that the money will not be spent on the current stage of the highway.
But if the money were used to fund the next stage, it would be concerning for several reasons.
First, the value of the port to our region is such that to exchange it for a small piece of road is unlikely to be seen as a good deal, by any stretch.
Second, the port affects, and is relevant to, many more people across the Illawarra than the number who would regularly benefit from the next stage of the highway near Berry.
Third, spending the $100 million on the highway would not go far.
Will the Treasurer - and Premier Barry O’Farrell - be good to their word? Or will Port Kembla be sold off to fund a small stage of a project that is already underway?
The people of the Illawarra will be watching closely.