NSW ELECTION HERALDS NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR WAGGA WAGGA
The widely predicted but nevertheless enormous swing giving the Coalition victory in Saturday's NSW election sees Daryl Maguire continue as the Member for Wagga Wagga, and provides new opportunities for our region's economy and community. Mr Maguire has reiterated his commitnment to seeing a new Base Hospital built in Wagga Wagga. There is other crucial infrastructure as well which will require government funding and support if it is to be developed.
The NSW Coalition has a policy which will establish a body called Infrastructure NSW, designed to "ensure infrastructure is delivered according to need, on time and on budget, and remove political interests from infrastructure decisions." (http://www.nsw.liberal.org.au/policies/infrastructure/infrastructure-nsw.html accessed 29/3/11)
Infrastructure NSW is based on the successful Infrastructure Australia, Partnerships UK and Partnerships Victoria models.
Wagga Wagga's new Base Hospital is estimated to have a total cost of $300 million and the master plan includes three stages of development. The NSW Department of Health approved $90 million of funding last year, and the NSW Coalition has promised a further $125 million of funding. The balance of the funds could come from the Federal Government and Council is pursuing this avenue.
There are two other major infrastructure projects which the Council sees as priorities for state and federal government funding. They are:
• Bomen Rail/Road Intermodal Hub - Supporting National and Regional Distribution and Logistics
• Wagga Wagga Airport - Aviation Education and Training Hub Expansion of Aeronautical Precinct
Bomen Business Park requires critical infrastructure to be developed to maximise its potential. The Bomen Master Plan provides for a quantum leap in the standard of intermodal freight facilities at Bomen. This $39 million project will involve reorganisation of the road patterns, elimination of the level crossing with a road overpass over the Sydney to Melbourne railway line, and development of an 80kph rail siding.
Improved road and rail access to the Bomen Business Park will deliver additional investment to the Park creating in excess of 700 jobs during construction phases and 624 jobs for operational activity over a five year period. It is estimated that with the development of the new Intermodal Hub, and the establishment of new businesses located at the Park, the freight task will amount to 1.8 million tonnes, which means 46,000 B Double Trucks would be replaced by the consolidation of the freight onto the rail network!
The third major piece of infrastructure of crucial importance to the economic development of Wagga Wagga is the $9 million expansion of the Aeronautical Precinct. The Wagga Wagga Airport Master Plan 2010 identifies this development as a green field area developed within Wagga Wagga Airport which will establish an aeronautical estate for aviation industry and educators. The existing serviced areas of the airport are at capacity and further development of industry and employment cannot be achieved before the existing infrastructure is expanded.
The operational phase of the facility is anticipated to drive between $18.1 million and $60.2 million in direct additional expenditure to the Wagga Wagga regional economy. This is estimated to support a total (direct and indirect) output of between $24.8 million and $82.8 million, and $11.2 million to $37.2 million in value added activity within the Wagga Wagga regional economy, generating an associated 64 to 212 FTE employment positions.
So with the advent of the new Government in NSW, and the delicately balanced Federal Parliament with active Independents having major leverage, the prospects for Wagga Wagga to attract funding to drive these major projects appear to be positive. As Simon Crean, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government has said:
"The agreement with the Independents has given us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to entrench regionalism in the way in which we govern ourselves...Australia's future is dependent on strong regional economic development. We are a vast nation. Our diversity is defined by our geography. But we cannot maximise that diversity unless we get involved in strong, sustainable economic growth" (26 October, 2010 at the Sustainable Economic Growth for Regiional Australia conference)
