AusRAIL, Market Sectors

Bottlenecks force trades from NSW: state opposition

<p>The New South Wales opposition would introduce an integrated infrastructure system to combat the loss of key trades interstate, shadow ports minister Andrew Stoner said last week (Friday, October 6).</p> <p>Mr Stoner told Shipping Australia’s parliamentary lunch in Sydney that infrastructure bottlenecks were restricting the state’s growth.</p> <p>&#8220There is no doubt that NSW is struggling, while the Australian economy powers ahead we lag behind, particularly compared with the economic powerhouses of Queensland and Western Australia,&#8221 he said.</p> <p>&#8220Over the last three quarters, we have only recorded one quarter of positive economic growth.</p> <p>&#8220It won’t be long before NSW experiences negative economic growth.&#8221</p> <p>The NSW Nationals leader and shadow roads minister said the opposition would reveal more details of its proposed &#8220integrated infrastructure plan&#8221 closer to next year’s election.</p> <p>Some of the state’s grain exports were now being shipped from Melbourne because Victoria’s infrastructure was seen as more reliable, he said.</p> <p>Mr Stoner said the plan would involve better coordination of the many departments involved in infrastructure. </p> <p>&#8220We need to break down those agency systems and come up with an integrated transport plan for all of NSW that includes linkages between rail, roads and ports,&#8221 he said.</p> <br />