Prime Minister Tony Abbott has announced $2.9 billion in new roads spending over the next eight years to support the construction of a new airport at Badgerys Creek, with NSW pitching in 20 per cent of the cost.
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The announcement follows from Mr Abbott confirming yesterday that the Coalition cabinet had signed off on building the much-debated airport at the site 50 kilometres west of Sydney's CBD.
Construction of the airport is expected to begin in 2016 and will spur the creation of up to 4000 construction jobs at its peak.
NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell was expected to appear with Mr Abbott, but pulled out and then announced he was resigning as premier over revelations at the Independent Commission against Corruption.
Mr Abbott told a media conference at Liverpool Council on Wednesday that the funding was an 'growth package' for western Sydney.
The plan includes several major Sydney road upgrades, including expansion of The Northern Road to four lanes from Narellan Road to the M4.
The Prime Minister said Elizabeth Drive from the M7 to the Northern Road would be upgraded to “a very high standard” and there would also be an urgent overhaul of Bringelly Road to increase the thoroughfare to four lanes from Camden Valley Way to the Northern Road.
Mr Abbott said the NSW government would also immediately move to secure the rail corridor from the south-west rail link to Penrith, but Wednesday’s announcement included no funding details for such a proposal.
“These are vital pieces of road infrastructure and what they mean is that the announcement yesterday is not just an announcement about an airport, it is an announcement about jobs and infrastructure for western Sydney,” Mr Abbott said.
“This is a jobs and infrastructure package.
“There will be 4000 jobs in the short-term on road construction and over time, thanks to the development associated with the new airport, we believe there will be at least 60,000 more jobs in western Sydney.”
Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said the government was attracted to the idea of including a rail link in the airport’s design, but signalled that Badgerys Creek could open without a completed rail station.
He said any railway connection could be built under the runways, with space for an underground station.
“This line, though, will be built not essentially to service the airport, it will be built to service the people of western Sydney and the residential areas of western Sydney,” Mr Truss said.
“It is going to start as a modest airport operation.
“It is difficult to justify the cost of a railway line, specifically to service the airport at an initial stage. If you look at the experience around Australia, Melbourne doesn't yet have a railway line to its airport. When an airport is starting small, usually the railway comes along later on.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Labor's transport spokesman Anthony Albanese, who supports a second airport at Badgerys Creek, warned that a major airport at Badgerys Creek would not be viable without a rail link to Sydney’s CBD.
He attacked Mr Abbott’s “ideological objection” to rail and said a rail connection between the two airports and to the greater western line was essential.
“This has got to be not just about the airport,” Mr Albanese said.
“It’s got to be about jobs and economic development of related industries and innovation in western Sydney - part of that has to be a rail line. I don’t understand this ideological objection that Tony Abbott has to rail.
“You need rail as well as road in order for this airport to work.”
Mr Albanese was less forthcoming on Tuesday on the question of 24-hour operation.
"These issues will be examined in the environmental impact statement," he said.
"It's important that the community's views on these issues be taken into account."
