With the city containing more than half the Illawarra’s population now strangely annexed from the rest of the region when it comes to the NSW budget, Wollongong MP Paul Scully has come up with a unique idea to attract funding.
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Speaking out after the government listed projects for the “Illawarra *excluding Wollongong” in Tuesday’s regional funding overview, an outraged Mr Scully joked the city could take advantage of the increasingly rubbery definition of where it fits within the state by playing along with the government’s game.
“We will move as best suits our needs by including Unanderra in the electoral division of Hornsby so that funds flow for our [train station] lifts,” he said.
He also said the WIN Entertainment Centre could simply be redefined to be in Sydney, so its much-needed upgrade could access cash flowing to metropolitan stadiums, and suggested the South Coast Line be considered part of the Central Coast, “so that the New Intercity Fleet is sent to us first rather than last”.
Likewise, he said busy arteries like Appin Road and the Masters and Springhill roads interchange should be attached to the Western Sydney road network by the government, so they might see cash for upgrades sooner.
Mr Scully’s tirade against the way Wollongong (and its northern counterpart Newcastle) was shafted in the budget comes after years of changing definitions and boundaries regarding the Illawarra.
Now, the two economic powerhouses of regional NSW are locked out from applying to a long list of regional funds – including the new Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund and regional sports fund – as they are considered to have the same “metropolitan” status as Sydney.
Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said this left the two cities competing with Sydney for funds, which continued to “suck up most of the resources”.
“The problem is, the definition of whether we are regional or metropolitan is not firmed up, it’s is an amorphous, indescribable jumble,” he said.
This week, at the National General Assembly of Local Government, held in Canberra, Cr Bradbery said councils from across the country voted to support a Newcastle-led motion to redefine both of NSW’s regional cities.
The joint councils will write to all state premiers and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to raise their concerns and ask them to recognise the economic importance of “second tier” cities like Wollongong and Newcaslte.
“We need to recognise their engagement in economic activities, and their significance for the state,” Cr Bradbery said.