Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG (Macquarie Fields) (16:03): This motion is not about toll relief. The only thing this Government is good at is a magic show. Those opposite are experts on how to pull off the perfect trick—giving with one hand while taking with the other. The Premier and her Government are trying to fool the people of south-west Sydney who have long suffered having to pay a travel tax for the privilege of sitting in traffic on crowded toll roads. This Government has cynically chosen the lead-up to Christmas—a period when everyone is worried about money and their household budget—to flash some cash to road commuters.
"Free rego," shouts the Government's political spin machine and media release. But, as we all know, people get nothing for free from this sneaky, stingy Liberal Government. The people of south-west Sydney are wiser than this Government thinks. They know the Premier has put on her magician's hat and has tried to trick them. Many residents in south-west Sydney took to social media to tell the Government exactly what they think of this sleight of hand. No-one sees this as a freebie, because it is not. Here is just a small selection of comments from long-suffering people in south-west Sydney:
It's just to encourage everyone back on to the toll roads so the likes of WestConnex become more profitable.
You'll get nothing for free from the government … in the end the people that don't use the toll enough will be charged more somewhere along the line.
And you can almost hear the sarcasm dripping from this comment that comes complete with an eye-rolling emoji:
This looks like a great way to increase traffic congestion and reduce state re venue at the same time. Genius.
But perhaps this comment sums it up best:
Nothing for nothing.
Premier, the people of south-west Sydney have your number. This is a sneaky, tricky Liberal Government driven by polling numbers and political lobbyists. People do not trust this Government, and why should they? Now the Government is allowing toll companies to slug motorists with these unfair tolls for at least another 40 years as part of the sale of WestConnex—taking money from the public purse and handing it over on a gold profit platter for multinational tolling companies. As we all know, some multinational companies pay barely any tax in Australia.
People are missing out on valuable time with their families and their kids because of traffic congestion and draining commutes. So what does this Government do? It announces a tolling policy that will push more people onto already overcrowded roads so the tolling companies can reap in super profits. The people of Macquarie Fields, Campbelltown, Holsworthy, Mulgoa, Camden, East Hills and Wollondilly are forced to sit in traffic jams. Perhaps the Premier has put her magician's hat back on in the hope of making the concerns of south‑west Sydney disappear. [Time expired.]
