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The prime minister has been asked about his (somewhat disastrous) visit to a local pub last night, where he was confronted by a pensioner, demanding answers about Morrison’s previous election promises.
Reporter:
A frosty reception at the Edgeworth Tavern last night, are you frustrated to see that?
Morrison:
It was actually a very welcome reception. There was one gentleman, Ray, who was very upset about a complicated case, it was involving medicare and immigration issues. It was also involving income definitions under the pension regime. He has had a lot of complications with those cases. And my staff met with him also, after I carefully listen to what he had to say and respectfully listen to what he had to say.
He was not asked to [leave or] anything like that. I can understand that he was very upset about some very significant issues that had happened his life. And so I was keen to understand what he was saying to me and I believe we have.
It is a complicated case but we will see how we might be able to assist and progress that. As you move around, I like hearing from people. I hear from people all the time. While some may have some very complex issues that need to be addressed, others, I must say you were there last night, it was great to see them.
Reporter:
People are still waiting for the Central Coast promises from the last election. What certainty can you give that Central Coast residents will have an upgrade delivered on time?
Morrison:
We have already acquired the land here and you will be aware of the challanges we have had in Gosford because of the issues that have occurred with the Gosford City Council.
It disrupted our ability to move forward on that project. I think people would understand that. These projects were talking about here, you had very clearly, the State Government is fully on-board with both these projects and I am very confident they will understand the great value in the faster rail project, as Sam just outlined.
Money is in the budget, it’s all they are to be done, a partnership with the State Government to make that happen. There were some challenges with a couple of those projects but they are important projects. We want to get them done.
Scott Morrison:
Here are, what we are seeing is a town becoming a hub in the Central Coast. Where people are not driving through, they are staying, they are residing, they are running businesses, they have a future here.
This will be an important hub along the Central Coast and a calendar continues to grow and prosper as a result of the growth we are seeing in the Central Coast region. That needs the infrastructure to support it and that is why I am pleased to announce, it is in the budget, $1.1 billion to go to three very important projects.
The first of those is the upgrade of the Central Coast Highway that is $52 million, $51.2 million that we are putting into the $65 million project. Together with the State Government. We are finding 80%, they are finding 20%. That work will get under way this year and it is an important part of clearing along the Central Coast as more people are living here.
Prime minister Scott Morrison is in the central coast today, talking about all the development and infrastructure work they are going to build up regional communities. (While elsewhere in the state, regional infrastructure is being destroyed by devastating floodwaters and extreme weather events connected with climate change.)
Morrison:
This is an important day. Australia is not just the eight capital cities of this country. That is something my government firmly believes, the Liberal/ National government is about ensuring our regions and rural areas and remote communities are understood and are supported.
So much of the opportunities in Australia are actually outside our major capital cities. That has always been true in the Central Coast and it’s important that in the Central Coast, where more and more people every year are choosing to live and because we are to work on the Central Coast, they need this infrastructure that supports quality of life and also support their economic opportunities.
We have further increased the size of our infrastructure pipeline to make sure that we can be supporting regional communities all around the country with the infrastructure and services and most importantly, the jobs that make those communities work.
Scott Morrison is speaking now. Let’s have a listen in.
Severe weather warnings issued for NSW
Calla Wahlquist
Sydney and surrounding areas have been battered by severe storms this morning, with up to 140mm of rain forecast over six hours.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning just before 5am, predicting rainfall of between 60mm and 100mm would fall over a wide stretch of the already sodden state, including Sydney, the Illawarra, the south coast, the central and southern tablelands, and parts of the Hunter.
On the coast, rainfall could reach up to 140mm, the BoM said.
A flash-flooding warning was issued for coastal parts of the south coast, the Illawarra, metropolitan Sydney and the southern Hunter region, extending into the southern and central tablelands in the afternoon.
You can read the full report below:
Man reported swept away found safe and well
In some excellent news, the man reported to be swept away in flood waters in the Epping area has been found safe and well, the ABC reports.
A spokesperson for the NSW SES has confirmed that a rescue operation is under way after the service received reports about 9.14am that a man had been spent away in floodwaters in the Epping area of Sydney.
She says the SES is working with NSW police.
The ABC is reporting that a man has been swept away in flood waters in Epping, north-west Sydney.
I’ll bring you more updates as soon as I can.
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