HANSARD EXTRACT
| Statements
by Members: Transport |
| 17 August 2005 |
Mr HAYES
(Werriwa)
(9.34
a.m.)—Last
week the member for Greenway, who is in the chamber today, made a
statement about how important transport issues are to the people of
Western Sydney.
She went on to praise the federal government’s spending on Westlink,
the M7 project. The member for Greenway could not be more correct
when she said the people of Western Sydney have transport at the
forefront of their minds. In saying that, people are looking for
action from this government on petrol prices. They are looking for
more than praise of expenditure programs which are already under
way. Efficient and effective infrastructure are part of the
transport issues that the people of Western and south-western Sydney
are concerned about, but that is not all they are concerned about.
The transport issue that sticks most in the minds of people in
Western Sydney
at the moment is petrol prices. While the Westlink project
represents welcome investment in transport and economic capacity in
the greater
Western Sydney
area, constituents of my electorate are screaming for relief from
high petrol prices. Monday’s Daily Telegraph reported that
for people from south-west Sydney who work in the CBD it can cost up
to $300 a week, not including parking, to get to and from work
because of surging petrol prices. To most people it seems that this
government does not have a clue about what to do about rising petrol
prices. It does not seem to have a plan to provide any form of
relief to motorists.
Labor have outlined a plan to provide relief to motorists. We know
what the government can do to make things better. The opposition
know that, in order to give motorists relief, action needs to be
taken and taken now. The opposition have already released details of
steps that would start addressing the problem of higher fuel costs.
We know there is not one single solution to this problem, but we
also know that something needs to be done.
Australia
needs to reduce its reliance on imported oil and develop its own
liquid fuel market. We must provide a real future for biofuel
industries and give consideration to the use of ethanol blended
fuels. Competition should also be increased in the fuel industry,
using it to achieve the lowest possible prices at petrol pumps.
Instead of helping people in
Western Sydney,
the government is more interested in extending welfare to
millionaires and pursuing its extreme industrial relations agenda.
This government is out of touch. It needs to do something about high
fuel prices now and not simply wait until the next election.
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