F3 Link Far Down List

Newcastle Herald

Wednesday October 8, 2008

By JULIEANNE STRACHAN

THE fate of the F3 link to Branxton could be known by the end of the year, with the Rudd Government poised to announce the first round of spending from its $20 billion Building Australia Fund.

NSW Premier Nathan Rees has given the Federal Government a $43 billion wish-list, which includes the Seahampton to Branxton link as a fourth-tier priority.

It has taken a back seat to the $10 billion West metro rail and the $5.5 billion M4 extension that have been listed as top priorities.

The second tier includes the M4 port/airport-link extension ($3.6 billion) and the $2 billion M5 expansion.

A spokesman for Federal Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese said an interim list would be made public before the end of the year and a "first version" in March.

He said the F3 link would be judged against a set of priority check points. These were; whether it lifted national productivity, developed cities and regions, strengthened Australia's international competitiveness, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved quality of life.

The Hunter Business Chamber has consistently named the F3 link as a priority and has estimated it would provide hundreds of planning and construction jobs.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Infrastructure Australia would bring "transparency, rigour and integrity to the task of infrastructure prioritisation that was sorely missed over the last decade".

However, the process has already come under fire, with state Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell saying the NSW priority list was aimed at helping Labor win the next election.

"The submission to Infrastructure Australia read like a wish-list of marginal seat projects that Labor wanted simply to secure the next election," he said.

Mr Rees was under fire for not including the $12 billion North-West Metro rail link for Sydney. It followed reports Mr Rudd told NSW earlier this year not to ask for Federal funding for the North-West Metro because Labor had no marginal seats in the area.

That was denied yesterday by Mr Albanese's spokesman.

"This will not be determined by the electoral map. And it actually runs through the marginal seat of Bennelong for one thing," he said.

The future of the rail project is up in the air as Mr Rees has refused to guarantee it will survive next month's mini-budget.

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© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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