TWO YEARS OF MAKING IT HAPPEN

28 March 2017

Two years on from the 2015 election, the NSW Government has honoured more than 200 election commitments delivering more new hospitals, schools and record jobs growth across NSW.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the Government had worked hard to make NSW the strongest economy in the nation while delivering new infrastructure and improved services to people across the State.

“The NSW Liberals & Nationals have transformed this State from the worst economy to the nation’s strongest performer by far,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“With our economy booming and our Budget firmly in surplus, we are now in a position to ensure everyone in our State, no matter where they live, receives their fair share.

“We are focused on making a real difference to people’s lives. We have already delivered 200 election commitments in the last two years and we will work to deliver upgrades and new services across every corner of the State.

“We know we have more to do and plan to go even harder over the next two years to ensure we improve the quality of life and opportunities for all of our citizens.”

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro said the Liberals & Nationals Government would continue to invest record amounts in rural and regional NSW.

“The only way to ensure that we deliver those life-changing projects is by engaging with, and listening to, the people across NSW in their own backyards and that’s where we will be,” Mr Barilaro said.

“It’s been a privilege working for our regional communities these past two years – and we’re only at the halfway mark.”

Over the past two years, the NSW Government has:

•           Opened and upgraded 14 hospitals: Three new hospitals delivered; Byron Central Hospital on the North Coast, Parkes Hospital in the Central West and the South East Regional Hospital Bega in the South. Eleven hospital redevelopments and expansions at Kempsey, Dubbo, Lismore, Eurobodalla, Forbes, Shellharbour, Wollongong, Royal North Shore, Blacktown and Mt Druitt, Campbelltown and Prince of Wales Hospitals.

•           Delivered more schools and classrooms: funding for more than 1100 new classrooms, providing more than 25,000 additional student places. 15 new and relocated schools are either in construction or the design/planning stages, while 24 major upgrades are in construction or in the design/planning stages.

•           Created more new jobs: NSW has the lowest unemployment of any state in Australia - at 5.2 per cent. Since 2011, 300,300 jobs have been added in NSW, accounting for almost 37 per cent of new jobs across Australia in that time.

•           Invested record amounts on infrastructure: 16 of our major infrastructure projects have moved into the construction phase, including WestConnex, NorthConnex and Newcastle Light Rail. Some $11.5 billion of the $20 billion Rebuilding NSW program has already been committed to a range of priority projects while tunnelling has been completed for the Sydney Metro Northwest.

•           Increased housing supply: housing approvals and completions are at all-time highs. While we know we have more to do on tackling housing affordability, we have made massive progress on closing the housing gap left behind by Labor.

•           Boosted regional infrastructure: we have committed nearly $500 million to build a pipeline to secure Broken Hill's water supply, we are halfway through the $4 billion program to upgrade the last 155km section of the Pacific Highway to four lanes and are continuing to invest record amounts into regional hospitals and schools.