Asked if his new approach to building the state’s railroads and roads would push the state’s gross debt to above $187 billion, Perrottet said: “When we make investment decisions for future infrastructure projects, we consider the debt position. at that moment.”
He pointed to the coalition’s $170 billion in completed infrastructure since 2011 as proof it could continue to deliver, and he slammed Labor for canceling two metro projects in the city’s west and southwest.
Privatization and how to pay for major projects such as subways and road networks has become a focal point of the NSW election.Credit:Brook Mitchell
“You can’t just build for today, you have to build for tomorrow. We have done that since we took office and we will continue to do so,” he said.
Labor will argue that the government has made $50 billion in future infrastructure commitments that have not been budgeted for, including metro lines from Parramatta to Badgerys Creek and Bankstown to Glenfield.
The opposition used mileage-based costs of existing metro lines as a benchmark for pricing the future projects touted by Perrottet on Wednesday. However, some of these existing lines use expensive tunneling methods that may not be applied to the new lines proposed by Perrottet.
Loading
Aside from the new metro lines, the coalition has previously discussed the prospects of the construction of the Northern Beaches Link highway and the raising of several major dams, including Sydney’s Warragamba.
“Any time you see a piece of infrastructure with an asterisk next to it, or if the budget papers say ‘unfunded’, you know that right after the election he will start privatizing assets owned by the people of the state,” Minns said to Perrottet.
Minns has said a Labor government would only make progress on projects it knew could deliver without jeopardizing the state budget.
The sale of government assets to fund infrastructure has been a trademark of the coalition’s 12 years in power, which has received more than $30 billion from the sale of the state’s poles and wires, $20 billion from WestConnex and $5 billion of the controversial port agreement.
Perrottet has previously been hesitant to rule out future privatization of state-owned properties, saying the government’s recycling program was key to delivering major projects.
Responding to Minns’ claim for $50 billion unfunded infrastructure, a prime minister spokesman said the coalition had a track record of delivery.
“Labour’s proposal to abolish the public sector wage cap will put a huge hole in the budget,” they said. “We can already see where this will lead with Labor already walking away from two metro lines in Western Sydney.”
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up for our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.
