SWANSEA ELECTORATE SCHOOL BUS SERVICES AND INFRASTRUCTURE

I am pleased to say that in my community, the Government has started the year by expanding much-needed school bus services to parts of the community that had no bus service. Just this week I joined with my good friend the Minister for Regional Transport and Roads to announce that for the first time, students from Crangan Bay will have access to school bus services to five local schools in Lake Munmorah. They include St Brendan's Catholic Primary School, St Brigid's Catholic College, Lake Munmorah High School, Gwandalan Public School and Lake Munmorah Public School.

To accommodate the extension of school bus services, changes will be made to both morning and afternoon services, with specific routes servicing individual schools. In the mornings, route 2195 will go to St Brendan's primary school and St Brigid's Catholic College; route 2209 will take students to Lake Munmorah High School; and route 2205 will service Gwandalan Public School and Lake Munmorah Public School. In the afternoons, route 2793 will collect students from Lake Munmorah High School; route 2654, from Gwandalan Public School; route 99, both St Brendan's primary school and St Brigid's Catholic College; and route 98, Lake Munmorah Public School.

That is a great result for our community, but I know there is more work to be done to improve bus services across the electorate after the Liberals' disastrous privatisation of Newcastle's bus services. The community of Catherine Hill Bay are anxious to see bus services between the four schools on Carters Road, Lake Munmorah. I assure the community that I have been discussing the matter with the regional transport Minister, with very positive results. The Government faces the challenge of a bus fleet that was underinvested in by those opposite, despite the growth of many regional communities like mine and those in Western Sydney. The discussions between me and the Minister are ongoing, and I hope that we can deliver a positive outcome for that community like we did in Crangan Bay.

Parents of students on the Central Coast will also be pleased to hear that progress is being made on the $1 million election commitment from the Labor Government to start the process of addressing traffic congestion on Carters Road in Lake Munmorah. This is not the first time that members in this place have heard me raise Carters Road. I called on the former Liberal Government to fund design work for a connector road to Carters Road. That is exactly what is outlined in Central Coast Council's Greater Lake Munmorah Structure Plan. Those opposite could not find a cent to support the project, but Labor is delivering, fully funding $1 million to work with Central Coast Council to design the connector road. Transport for NSW completed its data collection in December, including on the number of vehicles travelling through the intersection during peak periods. Transport is now developing traffic modelling, working with council to prepare the environmental investigations and designs that are necessary to get the job done.

Our community has fought hard for that project, and I am proud to deliver for them, in the same way the Government has delivered in establishing new school bus services. The New South Wales Labor Government is delivering, and I will continue to fight for the essential services that our schoolkids need to get to school and home again.