STATE member for Myall Lakes Stephen Bromhead has denied claims of a 'go-slow' from the National Party on the provision of road repair funding for councils such as Greater Taree, following the floods of last June.
In the wake of last week's roads forum in Taree, federal member for Lyne Rob Oakeshott criticised Mr Bromhead for his announcement that the State government would not fund the full $19.1 million Greater Taree had estimated as the cost of repairs to flooded roads and bridges.
Mr Bromhead told the forum the O'Farrell government would fund only 50 to 75 per cent of Greater Taree's repair bill from last June.
This prompted Mr Oakeshott to declare this week (MRT Wednesday) "The National Party not only seems to think that paying half the bill is acceptable, but an eight month delay on funding approval also is OK".
Mr Bromhead immediately hit back, indicating Mr Oakeshott must have a short memory, as a similar situation had occurred after floods in 2009, "when it took 18 months to get through the process, and councils got not all they had asked for." NSW had a Labor government at the time, he pointed out.
"Mr Oakeshott should also know that councils and the State government are bound by an agreement they entered in 2008 - when Mr Oakeshott was still a State member - that when a state's disaster bill gets to $250 million or more, the state gets federal assistance.
"Last June's flood bill in NSW has gone over the $250 million, so why doesn't Mr Oakeshott go to the prime minister, as part of the Labor/Independent team, and get his government cracking with assistance to NSW?
"Rob Oakeshott should be getting his Labor cohorts to support New South Wales with flood disaster funding."
Mr Bromhead agreed a backlog situation was now being exacerbated, given Greater Taree City was again declared a natural disaster area following last week's flood.
"Roads and Maritime Services (the former RTA) is doing everything it can to assess the damage from June last year," he said.
"It continues to receive information from Greater Taree City Council and there is ongoing dialogue between the two as to the exact cost."
Mr Bromhead reiterated what he had said at last week's road forum that although Greater Taree City Council was seeking repair funding to replace its infrastructure to new standard, the 2008 agreement ("which Mr Oakeshott should know about") allows for funding only to restore to 'pre-flood condition'.
"If it was up to me, I'd pay Greater Taree the full $19.1 million. I'd have it as 100 per cent of the cost and I'm fighting for us to get every cent."
But in the meantime, he said, Greater Taree City Council is able to start doing some of the repair projects from last June's flood, "because some of its projects have been signed off.
"Others are extremely complex - one I know of is so complex its assessment has had to be outsourced."
The Bootawa Road culvert, totally washed away last June, will be replaced with a bridge, which will be an improvement to council's infrastructure, he pointed out.
"So it's ongoing but it is happening."
Mr Bromhead was critical of the Federal government's "wasted billions", citing the National Broadband Network (NBN) rollout, where there continues to be an extremely slow take-up, the 'Building the Education Revolution" (BER) and the pink batts debacle.
"All these billions of dollars wasted - and we are talking billions - so why can't they find Greater Taree City Council a few million to help it recover from floods?
"For Mr Oakeshott to say what he did, knowing he was part of the agreement in 2008 as a State member if parliament, that's a bombshell.
"He's just playing politics. He knows the agreement is open and transparent.
"Meanwhile I'm in there fighting for every cent for us. I just want to get on with the job and getting it done, instead of getting involved in his politicking."
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