Jenny Leong MP, Member for Newtown has put on the record the extraordinary revelation that Goldman Sachs (the company paid $16.5 in public money to facilitate the sale of the of WestConnex and the Sydney Motorway Corporation), own a $6.2 million share in the company it was sold to.

NSW Greens Transport Spokeswoman Cate Faehrmann has branded the troubled Westconnex toll road a textbook example of Government mismanagement, poor planning and skewed priorities following the first day of public hearings at the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the impacts of the Westconnex project.

“Today we heard compelling evidence from experts and community members which highlighted that Westconnex is a textbook example of Government mismanagement, poor planning and skewed priorities,” Greens MP Cate Faehrmann said.

The government’s announcement by the NSW Roads Minister that the Gateway project to Sydney Airport will cost taxpayers $2.6 billion demonstrates yet again the extraordinary cost blowout of Westconnex at the expense of public transport solutions, the Greens NSW said today.

Cate Faehrmann MLC, NSW Greens spokesperson on Transport:

“It’s grossly irresponsible that the government continues to throw billions of taxpayers’ money at new toll roads and motorways at the expense of world-class public transport options,” said Ms Faehrmann.

“Tens of billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money is being spent on funneling more cars and trucks onto toll roads to please private operators, yet a fraction of this could be spent on providing direct public transport options for the tens of thousands of commuters and travellers using Sydney’s Mascot Airport every day.

“If the government was serious about relieving congestion around Sydney Airport, it would buy back the airport stations from the private operator and get out of the contract that prevents direct bus services being provided to travellers,” said Ms Faehrmann.

Jenny Leong MP, NSW Greens spokesperson on WestConnex:

“The link to the Airport and Port Botany was one of the key rationales for the $16.8b WestConnex  project.  It’s now become a separate project costing a massive extra $2.6b and still does not link to Port Botany,” said Ms Leong.

“The Liberal National government’s lack of proper planning and exorbitant expenditure on WestConnex and now the Sydney Gateway is astounding given there are far cheaper and more effective solutions.

“This latest announcement that the Gateway link will be toll-free is not to be believed given the re-imposition of tolls on the M4 to make the sell-off deal sweeter for Transurban,” said Ms Leong.

 MEDIA RELEASE  21 June 2018

After years of community pressure for this disastrous, polluting tollroad project to be investigated, Greens Member for Newtown Jenny Leong MP, NSW Greens spokesperson on WestConnex  and Dr Mehreen Faruqi, NSW Greens spokesperson on Transport, have welcomed this development believing it’s long overdue for the horrors of this project  to be exposed.

Jenny Leong MP said:

“For months we have been working behind the scenes in the parliament – and supporting the community push - to get up an inquiry into WestConnex – so it is very welcome that it is now finally happening.

NSW Greens Member for Newtown Jenny Leong MP and NSW Greens Member for Balmain, Jamie Parker MP condemn the NSW Liberal budget which boasts a $3.9 billion surplus but fails to deliver on basic community needs or crucial priorities for the state.

Responding to the NSW Budget, Jenny Leong MP said:

“The Liberal’s budget speech did not mention climate change once and that’s indicative of the thinking behind this budget – it’s one that could have been written in the 50’s with massive funding for private toll roads and a failure to recognise the real needs of the community, she said.

Greens NSW MP and Transport Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC and Greens NSW MP, Member for Newtown and WestConnex spokesperson, Jenny Leong, have reacted to the NSW Budget announcements on funding for WestConnex, the F6, Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link.

May 2018

Westconnex, Sydney Metro Privatisation, and Bill McKibbon: A report from Jenny Leong MP, Member for Newtown, on the week that was in the NSW Parliament.

The latest WestConnex leak regarding the cost and time blow out of the WestConnex New M5 shows the urgent need for full transparency regarding this now toxic project, says NSW Greens spokesperson on WestConnex and Member for Newtown, Jenny Leong MP and Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC and NSW Greens spokesperson on Transport.

In response to the latest shameful rubber stamping approval of the next stage of WestConnex the Greens are urging the NSW Upper House to support the call for all papers relating to the sale of WestConnex.

Jenny Leong MP Member for Newtown and NSW Greens spokesperson on WestConnex:

“We know NSW Labor and the cross benchers are concerned about the lack of transparency and accountability of the Liberal/National Coalition when it comes to state infrastructure and their privatisation agenda which is why we are urging them to support the Greens Call for Papers to release all documents related to the tender and sale of the Sydney Motorway Corporation.

Read Jenny's speech in Parliament about media revelations of shonky Westconnex dealings.