A scathing parliamentary report into tolling in New South Wales has been released today which highlights government secrecy as a key barrier to reform. The Report calls for no new tolls or tolling contracts to be entered into by the Government before reform is considered.
 
NSW Labor is now calling on the Government to pass the Opposition’s Roads Amendment (Tolling Transparency) Bill 2022 which will introduce transparency and independent oversight to tolling regimes, release toll information and introduce decision point signage on toll roads.
 
The report released today by the Legislative Council Portfolio Committee 6 – Transport into road tolling regimes in NSW makes key findings about tolling secrecy:

• Finding: That the decision by Treasury to withhold from public release contract details and traffic relating to Westconnex until 2060, and possibly longer, is an abuse of executive power.
• Finding: That the Government has failed to provide information to this inquiry about the total toll burden that drivers will be forced to pay under existing toll contracts despite estimates that it is more than $100 billion in today’s dollars.

These findings are followed by a recommendation that no new toll contracts should be entered into before reform is considered.

Recommendation

• That the NSW Government as part of its Toll Road Pricing and Relief Reform Review commit to: … 
• no new tolls or toll road contracts being issued prior to consideration of such reform, in order to not further limit the Government’s flexibility and control over toll road pricing.

The report includes a rejection of the Premier’s position of simple distance based tolling which would see drivers in the outer suburbs of Sydney pay more in tolls:

Recommendation

• That when a network approach to toll road pricing is considered by the review, the NSW Government should:
• consider the introduction of toll caps and appropriate flag falls, rather than just distance based tolling.
• review the application of toll escalation rates which often include both a minimum 4% toll increase or inflation, whichever is higher, rather than take account of real wages growth.
• review toll relief and cashback schemes to ensure that toll relief is going to the people who most need it based on their ability to pay as well as the existence of public transport alternatives.

The toll inquiry held 6 hearings and received 233 submissions and two supplementary submissions.

We know that Sydney is the most tolled city on the face of the earth.

Dominic Perrottet has signed the contracts to privatise our roads and created a toll road monopoly that is burning a hole in the back pocket of Sydney motorists.

Labor has announced a Minns Labor Government will keep the Sydney Harbour Tunnel toll concession in public hands and return revenue from both the Sydney Harbour Tunnel and the Sydney Harbour Bridge to drivers in the form of toll relief.

The Opposition will release a full tolling package closer to the NSW Election. It will be informed by the outcomes of the Legislative Council inquiry report released today and the Toll Review.

Shadow Minister for Roads John Graham said:

“This report makes clear the extent of tolling in NSW – more than one million toll trips a day, more than $2 billion in toll revenue every year.”

“We can’t conduct a public discussion about reforming tolling without further tolling data. The Government’s refusal to provide it is an abuse of power.”

“This next step requires the Government to release this information. If they don’t, the Opposition will ask the Parliament to legislate to do so.”

JOHN GRAHAM MLC
SHADOW MINISTER FOR ROADS