Following an independent review of the National Infrastructure Investment Program, the Australian Government announced it will no longer provide $100 million towards the Southern Connector Road project in the Snowy Mountains Special Activation Precinct.
NSW is extremely disappointed by the Commonwealth’s decision to yank funding to the tune of billions.
The decision, overall, is likely to see NSW $1.4 billion worse off over the forward estimates.
Our message to the Commonwealth is simple. Every dollar taken from NSW has to come back to NSW.
Importantly for the people of Jindabyne the Minns NSW Government is committed to delivering the Special Activation Precinct and has $196 million ready for investment.
We are delivering infrastructure and planning settings to build essential community infrastructure and initiate projects to increase the attraction of visiting and living in Jindabyne and the Snowy.
The cancellation of funding for the Southern Connector Road by the Federal Government is deeply disappointing, but the NSW Government will still work to deliver on the SAP’s vision.
I will also continue to work closely with our federal member Kristy McBain, because I know she is 100% committed to ensuring the Snowy Mountains community gets the infrastructure and services it needs.
The work for the Snowy SAP will continue to progress and will deliver the transformative infrastructure that Jindabyne deserves.
We will obviously have to continue to look at which projects take priority and timelines for implementation.
I note comment from some in Jindabyne expressing frustration with the timeframes for decisions on what and when will be funded.
We do need to cost the individual projects properly (something that had not happened when I became member) and we did need to know the outcome of the Federal review.
I am working closely with the Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty and the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully to progress the next step of community engagement which commenced this week.
The Department of Planning and Environment, in collaboration with Regional NSW, National Parks and Wildlife Service and Snowy Monaro Regional Council, has recently prepared the Snowy Mountains Delivery Plan, Jindabyne Development Control Plan (DCP), Alpine DCP, Alpine Community Participation Plan and a discussion paper.
It also includes a new complying development pathway to reduce the volume of noncomplex development applications waiting long periods to be assessed.
Since I was elected, I have consistently heard about long delays for assessment and unnecessary complexity. I want the next set of planning rules to address these issues properly and I urge people to provide their feedback to the process.
I encourage people to provide feedback by visiting the NSW Planning Portal until Wednesday 20 December.
22 November 2023
