Albanese roads funding not sustainable

"Mr Albanese's budget program shows he is blind to the implications of climate change, 'peak oil' and record petrol prices which will fundamentally change the way people and freight travel," Ms Rhiannon said.

"Minister Albanese says he's keen to tackle urban congestion but creating new motorways, like a M5 East truck tunnel, is a bankrupt solution that will cost Sydneysiders in the long term.

"This is a lost opportunity for Labor's budget surplus and shows a complete misunderstanding of what needs to be done to combat climate change and peak oil.

"Oil vulnerability, alongside climate change, is one of the key challenges of our time but Labor is doing nothing to prepare for its massive ramifications.

"In the long term oil intensive motorways and bypasses will be white elephants.

"Investing $5 million into a feasibility study to build a duplicate Port Botany truck tunnel along the M5 transport corridor to South West Sydney will see good money thrown after bad.

"Expanding Port Botany was a bankrupt decision from NSW Labor and now Federal Labor is compounding the error by pouring public money into a truck tunnel.

"A truck tunnel will be massively expensive to build and require a sophisticated filtration system.

"It's clear Mr Albanese has not learnt the lessons of the existing M5 East motorway which for years has been spewing unfiltered pollution directly onto surrounding residents.

"The place for freight is rail, not on the back of polluting and accident prone trucks.

"The federal government should be investing in rolling stock and infrastructure to allow for freight to be transported on rail not roads.

"Mr Albanese is no doubt thrilled by his big new bucket of money but he should recognise that his responsibility lies to spend it on public transport, not asphalt," Ms Rhiannon said.

More information:  Lee  Rhiannon - 9230 3551 , 0427 861 568


[via Lee Rhiannon Media Release Wednesday 14 May 2008 link]