Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has no answer to a question on the rorting of the Transport Access Program (TAP) which saw a senior Cabinet Minister caught on camera on Monday boasting about how “skulduggery and manoeuvring” saw the tiny Hawkesbury River train station “bumped up 150 places” over other busier stations, like Unanderra.

The Treasurer was specifically asked:

Did you make a mistake about whether Hawkesbury River Railway station is in your electorate, and did you also make a mistake in the Budget which saw it lifted 150 places up the priority list ahead of much busier stations such as Unanderra, Macquarie Fields, Doonside, Schofields, Riverwood and Woy Woy?

The Treasurer blustered on for five minutes during Question Time – even after the Opposition sought leave for an extension to his response – and failed to explain the rorting of the TAP or even mention Unanderra Station once.

Comments attributable to Paul Scully MP:

“It was extraordinary that a senior Cabinet Minister was caught out on camera boasting about how the Transport Access Program was rorted to benefit a tiny station ahead of upgrading busy stations like Unanderra.

“Question Time is used to hold the Government to account, yet the Treasurer simply refused to answer a simple question or explain how this TAP was rorted for political purposes at the expense of other train stations like Unanderra.

“The Berejiklian Government is arrogant and out of touch with the needs of the people of Unanderra and its surrounding suburbs.

“It’s a disgrace that the Government would rather rort a funding program at the expense of stations like Unanderra where people still must face the daily 72 step struggle of getting safe access to the platform.

“It’s time the Berejiklian Government ended the Transport Access Program rorts and started building the lifts at Unanderra Station.”