Torrential rain over the past week has again highlighted the waste and mismanagement of the NSW Labor Government, according to Member for Davidson, Jonathan O’Dea.
“The heavy rain has reinforced how State Labor was wrong to jump the gun and build the $2 billion desalination plant,” Mr O’Dea said.
Some of the heaviest falls in Sydney were recorded in the Davidson Electorate suburbs of St Ives, where on Sunday alone they recorded 114.6 mm (or more than 4 ½ inches) and at Frenchs Forest, where they recorded 197.6 mm (or almost 8 inches).
“Just as residents were digging out drains following the heavy rain, they will also be digging deep into their pockets for an expensive desalination plant that’s simply not needed,” Mr O’Dea said.
“Sydney Water users across the electorate have been subjected to harsh price hikes in their water bills to pay for the plant – money which could have been far better spent by hard working families and providing much-needed additional assistance to the State’s ailing economy.
“The price increases simply amount to another unnecessary tax from an incompetent NSW Government,” he said.
“This is on top of my earlier exposure that State Labor failed to deliver the desalination plant on time and needed to increase budgetary allocations several times.
“The Coalition has advocated increased recycling and stormwater harvesting. Recent rainfall vindicates this approach,” Mr O’Dea said.
“We will establish Infrastructure NSW to get our priorities right and ensure wasteful projects like the desalination plant and the Rozelle Metro do not proceed.
“The Liberals & Nationals are the parties of lower taxes and charges and we aim to fix the NSW economy,” Mr O’Dea concluded.
