‘This is a test’: Labor mayors rebel over Minns’ refusal to back Metro West
The state government’s refusal to commit to Metro West has sparked anger among the corridor’s mostly Labor mayors, who will meet on Thursday to discuss their concerns and declare that the project must proceed.
Burwood mayor John Faker, who is convening the meeting, has written to Premier Chris Minns inviting him to Burwood and requesting assurance Metro West “will progress without delay”. Burwood Council is also seeking an urgent briefing from Sydney Metro.
Burwood has a fast-growing population and is in the middle of master planning its Burwood North precinct near the planned station.Credit: Edwina Pickles
“This is actually a test for the premier to show that he, as a Labor premier, will be a great infrastructure premier and stick to the promise of delivering these projects,” Faker said.
“If the government is not going to recommit to this project ... then we will be organising a concerted campaign against the government and this decision.”
Faker said he had faith in Minns but “he’s got to show the vision and the leadership ... and not allow the bureaucracy to pull back on projects”.
Burwood’s Labor mayor John Faker.Credit: Fairfax Media
Earlier in the week he told fellow councillors Metro West would help make Sydney a global city and its benefits would flow over 100 years, so it should be costed over 100 years, not 20.
“I remember riding a metro in Singapore more than 20 years ago,” he said. “We’re just getting metros now. It’s a bit sad.”
Faker also said it was disappointing the government’s equivocation about the project had been relayed through the media rather than directly with the affected councils, and he had spoken to Minns’ office about this.
“If we’re talking of delays, what type of delays? Is there a decision to put more stops on there? Give us the information,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what political side is in government, I will advocate for my community. I might lose some friends, but that’s fine.”
Several of Faker’s counterparts along the corridor confirmed they would attend Thursday’s meeting.
“The metro must proceed and the boring machines haven’t stopped,” said Inner West Labor mayor Darcy Byrne. “It’s right and proper for the government to review the procurement process and the stop locations, but there’s pretty close to consensus among all elected representatives in the region that it must proceed.”
Cumberland Labor mayor Lisa Lake said she was concerned about the government’s messaging and the metro was vital for Westmead, where she lives.
“It’s a really busy station,” she said. “It has more pressure on it than stations further east. We’re in fairly advanced stages of planning work around Westmead to support future housing growth in the area and all that planning has been based on the assumption that Metro West will be operational.”
The council would have to cut back on planned housing growth if the train line were cancelled or delayed, Lake said.
Faker also raised overcrowding at Burwood, saying the heavy rail station had been at capacity “for years”. Transport data from June shows it is the tenth-busiest station on the network, with about 918,000 entries and exists for the month, behind Bondi Junction and ahead of North Sydney.
The government maintains no decisions have been made as it is awaiting an independent review into Sydney Metro by former federal bureaucrat Mike Mrdak, which is due by the end of this year.
On Wednesday, Minns said he wanted to find a way to pay for Metro West without blowing the budget, and “if we make a decision to axe the project, then you could take my head off then”.
Faker said he had discussed the matter with local state Labor MP Jason Yat-sen Li, who said it was important the metro is delivered.
“In the end, I can’t see the government walking away from the metro, but hopefully we can find a way to deliver it and deliver it better,” Li said.
“We need to make sure at least $25 billion of public money is spent properly. There are a lot of questions around why is it costing so much.”
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