[Greens-Media] Sydney*s rail must be public * no PPP role
Lee Rhiannon
Lee.Rhiannon at parliament.nsw.gov.au
Fri Sep 14 10:12:33 EST 2007
Media Release - 14 September 2007
Sydney*s rail must be public * no PPP role
Greens MP and transport spokesperson Lee Rhiannon has called on the NSW
government to commit to building publicly owned rail services to western
Sydney and rule out the Leighton-ABN AMRO Penrith to the city rail plan.
Both Leighton and ABN Amro are major donors to the Labor Party.
*Western Sydney urgently needs improved and expanded public transport
services and this will only be achieved if the NSW government takes
responsibility and does not use a Pubic Private Partnership model,* Ms
Rhiannon said.
*The people of Penrith and surrounding suburbs should not be given
second best.
*Public transport needs be government owned. There are a number of
examples where privately owned public transport has resulted in poor
services for commuters. Often governments have had to step in when
companies walk away because of low profits.
*In England and Victoria governments have bought back failed
privately run railways.
*Sydney*s Airport Rail Link is another costly example of a
government bringing in a private company and then paying big money for
their combined mistakes.
*The NSW government has spent $800 million after a contract dispute
with the Rail Link*s owners and its receivers. This project has now
cost the people of NSW as much as if it was publicly built.
*If Premier Morris Iemma goes with the Leighton-ABN AMRO plan he will
be favouring two major donors to the Labor Party.
*For the seven years from 1998/9 to 2004/5 the Leighton Group donated
$626,200 to NSW and federal Labor. In the same period ABN AMRO donated
$114,500.
*The Coalition parties have also benefited from the generosity of
these companies. Over the same period the Leighton Group donated
$678,500 and ABN AMRO $152,100.
*Premier Iemma and Treasurer Michael Costa need to borrow money to
pay for quality fail services for western Sydney. Borrowing to improve
and expand public services is one of the most important jobs of
government.
*If the Premier and the Treasurer want to play with the private
sector they should change jobs and go off to the corporate world," Ms
Rhiannon said.
For more information: Lee Rhiannon 9230 3551, 0427 861 568
--------------------------------------------------
Lee Rhiannon, MLC
The Greens
Parliament of New South Wales
Macquarie St
Sydney 2000
Tel: +61-2-9230 3551 Fax: +61-2-9230 3550
Email lee.rhiannon at parliament.nsw.gov.au
Web http://www.lee.greens.org.au/
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