Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG (Macquarie Fields—Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, Minister for Building, and Minister for Corrections) (18:45): It is a wonderful privilege to be in this House and I am honoured to be the member for Macquarie Fields. Not a day goes by when I do not reflect on what it means to serve the local community and how lucky I am to be in this job, continuing to work hard so that our growing community has the infrastructure it deserves and fighting for our fair share every single day. With less than 12 months until the next State election, I am reminded that the ballot box is the ultimate test for any public representative of any political persuasion.
I am particularly proud of the New South Wales Labor Government's track record for my local community. It took the Minns Labor Government to deliver long-awaited and much-needed infrastructure projects across my electorate, building a better New South Wales for the future. I recently toured the Macquarie Fields station upgrade project, which is part of the Minns Labor Government's Safe Accessible Transport program that aims to make public transport safe, inclusive and easy to use for all passengers regardless of their mobility. The upgrade will be an absolute game changer for people with disability, older Australians, people with prams or luggage, or others who may be experiencing mobility challenges.
Lifts for Macquarie Fields station have been a long time coming. The Macquarie Fields community was short-changed under the former Liberal Government. A 2019 Auditor-General's report slammed the former Government's politicisation of station upgrades that prioritised stations with a lower-ranked need than Macquarie Fields. Whether a station got an upgrade was based not on priority or need but on political persuasion. That is not acceptable. That is why the Minns Labor Government is restoring integrity and fairness to station upgrades to ensure those with the biggest needs do not miss out. I thank the Premier for his commitment to my local community and making sure they get a fair go.
The Premier, the former Minister for Transport and I announced the upgrade at Macquarie Fields station prior to the last election and after the election as well. More importantly, members of my community were there to witness that wonderful election promise, like local residents such as Donna in her electric scooter and long‑time Macquarie Fields resident 87-year-old Olga, who I might add regularly attends project tours such is her interest and delight in seeing the lifts finally delivered for her local community. Lifts for Macquarie Fields is a promise that the Minns Labor Government has delivered on. Works are well underway, with the project to be completed later this year. When that day comes, it will be a red-letter day and a day of celebration for our community after a long and hard-fought community campaign. I could not have achieved that without the support and perseverance of the people in my local area.
On top of that, the Government is also rebuilding public education by investing $3.9 billion for new and upgraded schools in Western Sydney. The targeted investment will ensure that growing communities get access to a world-class public education. In my electorate, a new high school is being built at Edmondson Park. Enrolments for years 7 and 8 are now open, which is such an exciting development. The school is long overdue. The former Government ignored our growing community's infrastructure needs. Unlike the former Government, the Minns Labor Government is investing in the growing parts of Western Sydney. I am pleased to report that Edmondson Park High School is on track to open day one, term 1, 2027—another red‑letter day indeed.
The Minns Labor Government is also investing $769 million to deliver 100 new public preschools co‑located with public primary schools. That means parents will have one drop-off for their young ones—and perhaps their slightly older ones—in the same place. I know what double drop-offs are like. That convenience will be so important for many working parents across New South Wales. Work is well underway to deliver two new public preschools in my electorate, Curran Public Preschool and Sackville Street Public Preschool. Those projects will enable more children in my electorate to access a high-quality preschool program before starting school.
I am excited that works have started on long-awaited traffic lights at the intersection of Pembroke Road and Durham Street in Minto. It has been a long-fought campaign for much-needed improvements to road safety in the area. The intersection has been a bugbear of my local community for quite some time. The improvements are all part of the Government's $325 million investment under the Towards Zero Safer Roads Program. The Minns Labor Government is delivering for my local community of Macquarie Fields. From roads to schools and transport, significant investment is being made. Our growing communities, wherever they are across the State, deserve no less. We still have work to do, but we are getting on with the job of building a better New South Wales for the future.
