NSW; $3 billion, better rail management urgently needed- Greens
SYDNEY, April 28 AAP - Restructuring rail safety organisations would not solve theproblems within the NSW rail network, Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said today.
Transport Services Minister Michael Costa today flagged a major overhaul of the NSWrail bodies that was unlikely to include any additional funding.
The announcement followed a leaked report claiming more than $1.5 billion in urgentfunding was needed to reduce the track repair backlog.
Ms Rhiannon said the NSW government had an obligation to increase the budget allocationfor safety, but must also let the community know what parts of the network were presentlyunsafe.
"We hope that Michael Costa is not hiding behind restructures, because they are a classicstalling tactic used to avoid the budget commitments required to maintain public infrastructure,"
Ms Rhiannon said.
"The public cannot wait 10 years for rail safety to be fixed and the May budget shouldhave enough money to get the repair timetable brought forward."
The Greens would use parliament's budget session, commencing tomorrow, to push forgreater rail safety spending, Ms Rhiannon said in a statement.
"The Greens want to see a unified rail system and more hands-on management, but theseneed to be backed up with the estimated $3 billion needed to fix country and city railsafety," she said.
"We need the government to make safety the number one priority for rail."
AAP hn/cd/de "
KEYWORD: RAIL GREENS
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