Almost 18 months on from the state election and Labor’s Mandurah train station carpark commitment has been labelled a “broken promise” and a “political wedge”.
Labor made the commitment during the 2016 state election, when it said it would pay $20 million towards the building of a multi-storey carpark.
In the two budgets since the McGowan Government has allocated $16.1 million “subject to the confirmation of a matching funding contribution from the Commonwealth Government”.
It’s a Federal funding contribution which according to Canning MP Andrew Hastie has never been broached with the Turnbull Government.
“The WA government hasn't said anything t o me, they haven't approached me, they haven't come to me and made a bid for the funding,” he said.
“In my view, it's a political ploy to defer this to the next Federal election and then make it a political wedge.
“Eighteen months on we've seen nothing from this State Labor government; we've heard nothing from David Templeman and I'm calling it a broken promise.”
Mandurah MP David Templeman said the McGowan Government remained committed to the Mandurah train station and would “also be seeking a contribution from the Federal Government for this commitment”.
Transport Minister Rita Saffioti echoed Mr Templeman’s comments, and said it was “up to the local federal members to advocate for more infrastructure projects such as the multi-story car park”.
Mr Hastie said while the lack of parking at the train station was frustrating, he questioned whether $32 million was too much to spend on a carpark.
“We need more parking, but it’s a low-level bit of infrastructure,” he said.
“You should be able to do that for $16 million. I’ve written to Minister Saffiotti and David Templeman about these issues. I’m waiting for their reply.
In my view, it's a political ploy to defer this to the next federal election and then make it a political wedge.
- Canning MP Andrew Hastie
“Why aren’t they funding the Peel Health Campus expansion? That’s where any extra funding should go.”
Dawesville MP Zak Kirkup said it was concerning there had been no movement on the train station carpark.
“They made a commitment – over many successive elections – that they would fund the redevelopment of that carpark,” he said.
“To only deliver less than what they promised and then make that predicated on the Federal Government kicking funding in, I think they're gaming the people in Mandurah.
“I would challenge the state government to prove me wrong but I'm sure that there is not a single other carpark across Western Australia that would be reliant for expansion by Federal Government funds.
“That seems unusual to me but what that's Labor's way of being politically sneaky and tricky here and try to gain the people of Mandurah but not delivering what they promised.”