With the sell-off of Westconnex, life just got a little harder for families in St George.
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It is bad enough that some families are paying up to $6,000 a year in tolls. Now, instead of the toll revenue being reinvested back into the local community, it will be handed over to a private monopoly.
Tolls will continue increasing four per cent a year, more than double the long-term inflation rate, making Sydney the most tolled city in the world.
Transurban is now collecting $1.3 billion a year from Sydney motorists as part of Gladys Berejiklian's 'Tollmania'.
Transurban now owns all or part of the M2, M4, M5 West, M5 East, M7, M8, Lane Cove Tunnel, Cross City Tunnel, Eastern Distributor and Northconnex.
The toll on the M5 East is causing traffic chaos with thousands of cars and trucks flooding on to local roads, making life a nightmare for hundreds of residents.
The relentless increases in toll charges come on top of the financial losses suffered as a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the lockdowns imposed on the Georges River and Bayside Local Government Areas.
The privatisation of WestConnex by the NSW Government locks in more tolls for St George residents for decades to come.
The NSW Government has now sold $93.4 billion worth of assets, at the cost of rich dividend streams which could have cushioned the budget.
The NSW Government should be focusing on easing the financial burden of these communities, not adding to it.
What is clear is this Government is addicted to privatisation and to tolls. Which means less money in your pocket and for families who are already struggling to make ends meet.
