As well as speaking to a private Liberal fundraiser organised by the Shoalhaven Business Chamber, Scott Morrison allocated 10 minutes to take questions from the local media.

Although saying he was impressed to see the improvements to the Princes Highway, he would not commit funding to the highway upgrade between Berry and Bomaderry or at Albion Park Rail.

“I welcome the fact there has been such strong investment by the state government. These are state roads at the end of the day,” he said. 

Gilmore MP Ann Sudmalis said she would barrack for an 80-20 funding arrangement for the new Nowra bridge. 

Mr Morrison plugged the $13.9 million in the budget for the proposed Northern Collector Road, designed to “alleviate” traffic congestion as part of “essential pre-works” prior to the replacement of the Shoalhaven River crossing at Nowra.

“It is the essential works to connect two fast growing areas of the Shoalhaven community,” he said.

He said the road would connect residents to services, to other transport connections, schools, hospitals; all the “important services and town services in Nowra”.

He spoke of the $75 billion in programs and projects the Coalition government has planned for the next 10 years, a further round of Better Region Funds, an overall regions fund approaching $500 million to support regional projects.

But he didn’t mention the assertion by the NSW Education Department under Gonski 2.0 local disadvantaged schools in Moruya and Batemans Bay would lose millions in funding.

Instead, a press release handed out at the conference stating the “funding model will see each and every facility receive a funding increases totaling $256 million”.

“We are targeting youth unemployment with our youth path  program,” Mr Morrison said.

Far South Coast residents know too well the long-standing, high unemployment figures in our tourism dependent Gilmore economy.

Youth unemployment, in particular, is a tragedy that must be healed.

Robert Crawford