Shadow Minister Media Releases
Halving Infrastructure Lead Times Will Help Small Business (25/02/2009)
Shadow Minister for Small Business, Don Page MP, said the Coalition policy to halve lead times for delivery of infrastructure projects will be very beneficial for small business.
“Speeding up the delivery of infrastructure will bring enormous benefits to small business,” Mr Page said.
“Small businesses are often the sub-contractors for local infrastructure and capital works projects. Speeding up the delivery of this work will create more jobs and increased benefits to a range of small businesses,” he said.
The Coalition policy is designed to stimulate economic growth, improve services to families and increase job opportunities.
“Over 14 years, the State Labor Government has repeatedly demonstrated its failure to effectively plan or deliver projects on time, on budget or at all.
“On the North Coast we have been painfully aware of the inertia of the State Labor Government through the delays on the Alstonville and Ballina Bypasses, the Pacific Highway upgrade, the Lismore Base Hospital expansion and the construction of the Byron Hospital, to name but a few,” Mr Page said.
“We are now seeing the beneficial affects on local economies of the long awaited Ballina Bypass construction work. The flow on benefits to small business would have been much greater if sections of the Pacific Highway upgrade had not been delayed in the State Labor Government’s mini budget. Examples include the Tintenbar to Ewingsdale and Banora Point sections which have been delayed by at least 2 years,” he said.
“Local infrastructure projects also have the economic benefit of bringing money into local economies, which in turn is spent in local small businesses.
“Increasing the delivery of infrastructure and capital works projects is an obvious way for Government to buoy the NSW economy through the global economic downturn,” he said.
“That is why the NSW Coalition have committed to halving lead times for delivery of vital infrastructure projects in Government.”
