LABOR MPs Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter) and Pat Conroy (Shortland) have both described parts of last night's budget as "good" but say the Morrison government needs to "follow through" on its announcements.
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Paterson MP Meryl Swanson acknowledged the budget's business investment incentives as "welcome" but said the failure to fund the M1 Pacific Motorway extension to Raymond Terrace and the Newcastle Airport upgrade was "incredibly disappointing".
"The Newcastle airport runway upgrade was identified as one of the critical priorities for our region to grow jobs and ensure economic diversification and again this has not been funded," Ms Swanson said.
"I am incredibly disappointed in the infrastructure components of this budget."
Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon "slammed" the budget, saying it "failed to deliver the investment that Newcastle needs now to weather the economic storms ahead".
Mr Fitzgibbon welcomed confirmation of funding for the Singleton bypass, which was in line with pre-budget announcements of $560 million for that project and $360 for the Rankin Park to Jesmond section of the Newcastle inner city bypass.
"Better late than never," Mr Fitzgibbon said.
"It will make an enormous difference for our commuting workforce, the residents of Singleton and the economy of the Upper Hunter."
Budget Paper No2 confirmed the Newcastle bypass money but combined the Singleton bypass with an upgrade of the New England Highway at Bolivia Hill, south of Tenterfield, for a total of $603 million. There was no confirmation last night of timing, beyond a statement that this money was part of a $2.7 billion allotment for major NSW roads projects between 2020 and 2024.
Mr Fitzgibbon said that "in a pandemic, the high levels of debt and deficit will be tolerated by most Australians as long as every dollar borrowed becomes a dollar well spent. It must provide strong economic stimulus, maximise job creation and provide appropriate safety nets for vulnerable Australians," Mr Fitzgibbon said.
"Only time will tell us whether spending and incentives have been well targeted."
Ms Claydon said it was "deeply disappointing" that the University of Newcastle's STEMM building and the Port of Newcastle's deepwater container terminal had been ignored in the budget.
"Instead of funding these priority projects, Mr Morrison chose to bail out his Liberal state government friends from having to fulfil their promise to fully fund the Newcastle bypass," Ms Claydon said.
"While I welcome funding for this final stage, I want to see a guarantee that the funds the state promised Novocastrians still end up in Newcastle."
Mr Conroy said the government's wage subsidy scheme would help younger workers but the cut-out at the age of 35 meant that older unemployed who were already struggling to find work would face a double disadvantage because of the subsidy to their younger rivals.
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