The New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has unveiled the state’s 20-year infrastructure plan as Labor ramps up the campaign against her unpopular plan to spend $2.7bn rebuilding Sydney’s two major stadiums.

Most of the plan for transport links has already been released but the plan is the government’s formal response to the Greater Sydney Commission’s recommendations. More than 100 recommendations have now been formally adopted.

“This landmark vision integrates social infrastructure, transport and planning, so we can make the most of this government’s unprecedented investment in communities across our state,” Berejiklian said on Sunday.



“Over the last seven years, our strong economic management has meant we’ve been able to deliver a massive pipeline of infrastructure investment worth $111bn, with over $80bn in the next four years alone.

“NSW by far boasts more major infrastructure projects under way than any other state. When we came to government social infrastructure in schools and hospitals were not part of the planning process. We have changed that.”

But Berejiklian is struggling to promote the government’s infrastructure agenda in the face of a concerted campaign over its decision to spend $2.7bn rebuilding both Allianz stadium at Moore Park and ANZ stadium at Homebush in Sydney.



The NSW opposition leader, Luke Foley, set out on Sunday on a statewide tour in a red bus emblazoned with the slogan “Schools and hospitals before stadiums”.

He is planning a week-long visit to key electorates around the state, including Tweed on the far North Coast, Myall Lakes, several towns in the Hunter Valley, then west to Barwon, Dubbo, Bega, Queanbeyan.

Beginning his tour outside Chatswood high school, Foley said: “Outside metropolitan Sydney there is real anger and a clear sense of being ignored because of the obscene amount of money the Liberals and Nationals want to spend on Sydney sport stadiums.”

“Families struggling to pay the bills are seething over this – as their children go to barely maintained schools and demountables and with hospitals starved of funding,” he said.

Under Berejiklian, the NSW government has attempted to introduce greater co-ordination between expansion of Sydney’s suburbs to meet housing needs and associated infrastrucutres such as hospitals schools and transport.



The Greater Sydney Commission was set up to review each region and devise detailed plans for each.

Among the new transport initiatives are doubling single rail line from Richmond, a plan to explore expanding the freight line near Wilton for passenger services and a long-term plan for ferries on demand.