Maitland state MP Jenny Aitchison believes the NSW Government must provide urgent funding for the town’s troubled road network.
The local member is demanding the “powers-that-be” deliver immediate support in the 2021/22 NSW Budget to help Maitland City Council address the significant congestion that motorists face on a daily basis in the electorate.
In the past month, Ms Aitchison has received numerous telephone calls, emails, videos and social media messages highlighting heavy traffic, dangerous conditions and long delays on many of Maitland’s local thoroughfares.
She delivered a Notice of Motion and a Private Members Statement in the Parliament of NSW this week, highlighting several of the concerns raised by residents at her recent road congestion public meeting.
“Locals in the Maitland electorate feel they are being ‘short-changed’ by a Sydney-centric government,” Ms Aitchison said.
“Why are we sending millions of dollars down to Macquarie Street and in return we get a pittance?
“How can the government think it’s acceptable to refuse an application from Maitland City Council to contribute $51 million to a $100 million road project to connect the New England Highway and Raymond Terrace Road at Thornton when the 2322 postcode alone send down to Sydney $167 million in stamp duty?
“It’s simply unacceptable and I will not stop advocating for funding until we are given our fair share.
“The NSW Government has failed to acknowledge the city of Maitland’s population growth and the need for its infrastructure to keep pace.
“I demand that the Berejiklian-Barilaro government provides Maitland City Council with funding as a matter of urgency.”
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