The Prime Minister has thrown his support behind the FIX IT NOW campaign, saying he supported the state government’s push for a full highway upgrade South of Nowra.
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Scott Morrison visited the South Coast Register on Friday, with new Liberal candidate for Gilmore Warren Mundine, to voice his support for the campaign.
FIX IT NOW, started by Fairfax Media, is campaigning for a divided dual carriageway between Nowra and the Victorian border, with an 80-20 federal and state government funding split.
Mr Morrsion said he was in full support of the state government’s plans to upgrade the highway, and agreed government to government co-operation was necessary for the project.
“We have to, as a Commonwealth, invest in the plans of the state,” he said.
“We are working with the state government and their priorities and what their plans are beyond the Jervis Bay turn-off, then we will work those through.”
Mr Morrison said the federal government was already in discussion with the state government on how to approach the project.
“It’s already happening,” he said.
“We are working with the state government and we will be working closely with them as they drive the process for the upgrade of the Princes Highway.
“We are in the middle of the planning process now which will take us to the end of June.”
The community has also voiced concerns about the current state of the highway. Voices became louder following the tragic Boxing Day crash that killed five people in 2016.
Mr Mundine, who is now in the running to be the new Gilmore MP, said he believed the highway needed to be upgraded to boost the region’s economy.
“It’s a no-brainer, the highway has to be the driver for economic development,” he said.
Madeline Crittenden
Madeline Crittenden is a journalist for Fairfax Media at the South Coast Register.
Madeline Crittenden is a journalist for Fairfax Media at the South Coast Register.
