Peter Debnam MP
NSW Liberal Leader
NSW Liberal Leader Peter Debnam said today the increasingly hysterical squabble between the Labor Government who designed the Cross City Tunnel and the current stubborn operator is still working against the community interest.
"There's one thing the community wants and that is to reclaim the 70 public roads the
Labor Government gave away to the private sector," Mr Debnam said.
"What we are seeing now from Premier Morris Iemma is squabbling - not leadership," he said.
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"The community just wants him to fix it – no spin, no more excuses – just fix it.
"Yesterday's announcement by Morris Iemma and today's announcement by the CCT operator suggests very slow progress in achieving the community's one objective of reclaiming the surface roads.
"What else will it take before Morris Iemma realises the community wants the roads reclaimed and the tunnel operator is currently in an incredibly weak position?" Mr Debnam asked.
"The tunnel operator has correctly said they simply delivered what the Labor Government wanted them to deliver," Mr Debnam said.
As the Cross City Tunnel operators noted in their media statement: 'The Cross City Tunnel project was delivered to Government, by invitation, on time and on budget. We have provided to Government precisely what they asked for in the contract. This is a Government project. They designed the road changes and they agreed to the toll.'
"The problem is the project and the contract DON'T work in the community interest. For that result we can thank Carl Scully, Frank Sartor, Joe Tripodi and Morris Iemma.
"It was a bad design, a bad deal, and a bad contract. It's what you get when big business and big government do a cosy deal behind closed doors never suspecting the contract would become fully public," Mr Debnam said.
CROSS CITY TUNNEL: MORRIS IEMMA IN PANIC MODE AS ELECTION DRAWS CLOSER
Peter Debnam MP
NSW Liberal Leader
NSW Liberal Leader Peter Debnam today welcomed the minimal changes the Government announced as Morris Iemma realises the election is drawing even closer.
"This extraordinary saga of the Cross City Tunnel debacle is proving to be death by a thousand tolls for Morris Iemma," Mr Debnam said.
"Morris Iemma has finally given in to people power to the extent of reclaiming 13 of the 70 road changes," he said.
"These few changes are being made after nine months of paralysis during which Morris Iemma, the Cross City Tunnel operators, and the banks held out against growing public opinion.
"For nine solid months, Morris Iemma said reclaiming the roads wasn't possible. Finally, he's buckled to the community will.
"Since last year, Shadow Roads Minister Andrew Stoner and I have been calling on the Premier to re-open the roads – the only difference between today and last year is the election is closer and Morris Iemma is more desperate.
"I say again to Premier Iemma – find some backbone and reclaim the remaining road changes the Labor Party took away from the public last August.
"The Cross City Tunnel debacle has always been an issue of the theft of the public roads. The Labor Party arrogantly stole freedom of movement around 70 roads from the NSW public and they want all of them back.
"If Morris Iemma doesn't reclaim all the road changes then I will straight after the election.
"The Cross City Tunnel remains a symbol of the Iemma Labor Government's incompetence and arrogance. As we saw with the Snowy Hydro, Morris Iemma is either unaware of or simply not interested in public opinion," Mr Debnam said.
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