2020-09-22
The Greens have said that a report of the Australian National Audit Office on a land purchase for Western Sydney Airport is damning and demands explanations by senior Commonwealth ministers.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens Senator for NSW, said:
“This report is damning. On top of enormous incompetence, it reveals instances of completely inappropriate and unethical decision-making.
“The Prime Minister and his ministers must explain this rotten mess. The buck stops with them.
“The federal government is spending billions of dollars on this airport which doesn’t stack up. How much more public money has been paid out improperly?
“I’ve long said that the Western Sydney Airport is a scam being foisted on the people of Western Sydney by the federal and state governments.
“The airport will jeopardise the World Heritage listing of the unique Greater Blue Mountains area. It will have a massive impact on the local community and the environment. The government has totally ignored these very significant impacts while planning and developing the Western Sydney Airport,” she said.
Senator Janet Rice, Greens transport and infrastructure spokesperson, said:
“The Morrison government has form in ignoring proper processes and doling out hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to their mates.
“It’s no wonder the majority of Australians don’t trust politicians when this is what happens under the watch of their elected representatives.
“The Prime Minister, Minister McCormack and Minister Tudge need to explain how this happened and why Australian taxpayers are more than $26 million out of pocket.
“We have the sports rorts inquiry still going, but it seems every other week there is new evidence of the Coalition mishandling taxpayers money. We need an inquiry into all the Morrison government’s rorts to investigate these kinds of reports, and a federal anti-corruption commission.”