Ms JENNY AITCHISON (Maitland—Minister for Regional Transport and Roads) (19:41): I will talk about my community of Maitland, how important it is to me and how I am so proud and pleased that the Minns Labor Government has been able to work with the community and Maitland City Council to make great plans for the future. I recently met with Jeff Smith, the new general manager of the council, and it was a really positive meeting. I relished the opportunity to meet him and have a frank and open discussion about the priorities for Maitland. Labor's advocacy document was released in the lead-up to the State election in March. I had a very good relationship with the former general manager of the council, so it was good to have that conversation.
The last time this House sat, I spoke about the budget's impact on my community and the great things that the Government is achieving in Maitland. The National Party has obfuscated a lot in this place and has tried to present the budget as lacking clarity, messaging mayors that funding was not available when it was. The Liberal Party has been claiming credit for projects that were already completed under Restart and which were being reported in the normal cumulative way as they have been for years. I thought it important to be very clear about the commitments for Maitland in the budget.
Maitland is one of the fastest growing communities outside of Sydney. Road infrastructure is a huge issue for the community. I was very pleased that the Government was able to deliver in this budget its commitment to the Thornton Road duplication. There has been talk in the community, and negativity particularly from the National Party, about that funding being for $15 million. That will not cover the whole project. If the former Government had finished that duplication in 2011, when the first leg cost $12 million, we would have had a chance. Until November last year, the duplication was costed on the council's website at $15 million. Funnily enough, after we put in all our bids with the Expenditure Review Committee, the price went up to $26 million. I was very interested to hear that the council was throwing around a figure of $30 million.
The Government has made a commitment of $15 million towards the Thornton rail bridge to duplicate that State asset. It will be a Transport for NSW project. We will advise what the cost of that project will be and make sure we fund it, but there is $15 million in the four years ahead to start the project and get it off the ground. The project is urgent. There was $100 million worth of work to be done in Maitland a few years ago. That is now $150 million in Thornton alone because of the delays and obstruction by the Opposition when it was in government.
The other project I will talk about is the Melville Ford Bridge. That bridge has gone under in so many floods. The previous Government committed funding to it and spruiked $4.1 million in the lead-up to the State election. That included $2.5 million from the Infrastructure Betterment Fund, $1.6 million from Fixing Country Bridges and a council contribution of $1.6 million. When Labor was in opposition, we confirmed in our budget a contribution of $2.5 million to that bridge. The $2.5 million from the Infrastructure Betterment Fund will be on top of Labor's commitment once that program goes through the final review process. We will get a really fantastic bridge with that money. In addition, another $6 million will go towards Maitland Vale Road and Melville Ford Road to strengthen them so that as traffic volume increases through that area the access across the river is maintained. Maitland is a river city so that is important.
There are many other aspects of Labor's advocacy document. In my previous private member's statement I went through what commitments Labor has delivered with the budget. I will put that on my website because some people in our community do not want to work together and do not want to work for Maitland. I will continue to work with people whatever their political persuasions, declared or undeclared. I will be very clear with our community about the commitments I have made. The Government will fund them, and we will make Maitland better.
