The DDA compliance works program also started during this period. However,
those quite small and isolated projects don't add up to a transport vision,
they were bandaids to try to keep the suburban system functioning. The IWLR
project actually started as a project facilitated by the previous Coalition
government. Labor hated (and still hates) trams, only doing something if it
wins votes for them. Most of the big ticket projects of the last decade
have been apolitical, largely undertaken in and through Labor-voting
electorates that were previously taken for granted.

This is rather academic anyway. The Coalition has left $150 billion worth
of infrastructure and investment spending that can't be undone locked in
for the next decade. The development of the state can virtually run on
autopilot for the next decade. In the end, it was the only way to break
the inertia that the state slips into every time there is a Labor
government. I'm sure Labor would do its best to white ant projects to get
at the money, but compensation for overturning multiple projects would get
very expensive and may attract taxpayers' attention, to put it mildly.

Tony P

On Friday, 24 March 2023 at 14:53:22 UTC+11 Alex Cowie wrote:

> Didn't the Rail Clearways Program (including the Macdonaldtown, Homebush,

> Lidcombe, Liverpool and Macarthur turnbacks, Revesby quadruplication,

> Schofields and Cronulla duplications), the Millenium and Waratah fleets,

> Olympic Park, and the Dulwich Hill LR all originate before 2011?

>

> Alex C

>

> On Friday, March 24, 2023 at 10:58:58 AM UTC+10:30 TP wrote:

>

> ...

>

>

>

> Population policy is in the hands of the Federal government. If there's a

> policy of growth, then the states have no choice but to plan for it and

> build the infrastructure and services for it, hopefully with some

> assistance from the Feds, but otherwise go it alone like NSW has. There are

> two ways to go on that. Either you can plow ahead at full speed like the

> present NSW government has in the last 11 years, or you can make a lot of

> announcements then do nothing, like the previous Labor government did for

> 16 years, creating a gigantic backlog.

>

> ...

>

>

>

> Tony P

>

>

>

>