Tonight I speak about the Northern Beaches Network Review and the future of transport on the northern beaches. Residents raise the issue of transport with me more than almost any other. Whether it is congestion on Warringah Road, delays on Pittwater Road, overcrowded buses, cancelled services or simply the amount of time people spend travelling to work, transport has a direct impact on people's quality of life across my community. That is why I welcomed the Government's decision to undertake the Northern Beaches Network Review.

Following the cancellation of the Beaches Link tunnel, the northern beaches has been left without a clear transport plan. While opinions differed on the tunnel itself, what cannot be disputed is that transport planning for the region has lacked direction ever since. The review is a useful and pragmatic piece of work. It identifies opportunities to improve traffic flow, increase road safety and make public transport more efficient through targeted intersection upgrades, bus priority measures and corridor improvements. I support practical measures that deliver real benefits for commuters. We should always be looking for sensible improvements that reduce congestion, improve reliability and make better use of existing infrastructure. I thank the Government for undertaking this work, and I urge it to now follow through. The review cannot simply become another report that sits on a shelf. As I argued in my budget submission, funding should be allocated to implement the opportunities identified through the review as a priority.

At the same time, residents deserve greater transparency about the costs and benefits of proposed changes. For many of the options identified, particularly bus priority measures, the community has not been provided with enough information to properly understand the trade-offs involved. If a proposal benefits the broader transport network but impacts some road users, the Government needs to be up-front about that. People deserve clear information and honest conversations. While the review is useful, it is not a long-term transport strategy. The Northern Beaches is seeing significant population growth and major development proposals. Nine designated town centres and major housing projects are being considered throughout the region, including the proposed redevelopment of Warringah Mall. Yet there seems to be no clear vision for how transport infrastructure will keep pace with this growth.

The northern beaches remains one of the largest metropolitan regions in Australia without rail or metro services. The region relies almost entirely on buses and roads, and even a drawbridge called the Spit Bridge. The answers I have received to questions about transport in the region indicate that no work has been done. At the very least, the Government should undertake that analysis and make it public. The community deserves an informed discussion about our long-term transport future. In the meantime, we should explore solutions that sit between minor road upgrades and multibillion-dollar mega projects. One option that warrants serious consideration is bi-articulated buses. These vehicles are already operating successfully in Brisbane. They can carry significantly more passengers than traditional buses while requiring only a single driver. They offer many of the capacity benefits associated with light rail or metro-style systems, without the enormous infrastructure costs.

I have proposed a study tour with the Minister for Transport to examine Brisbane's experience firsthand, and I hope that opportunity is pursued. Lord knows he needs it for the new Western Sydney airport, which the former Government did no public transport planning for. For the Wakehurst electorate, two opportunities identified in the review stand out. The first is bus priority on Warringah Road. I recently conducted a community snap poll asking whether residents supported a bus or transit lane on Warringah Road. More than 800 people responded, with approximately 73 per cent expressing support. However, residents were also very clear that bus priority must be accompanied by better services. People want reliable buses, more frequent services and fewer cancellations. They want public transport that is genuinely competitive with driving. That is why bus priority measures must be accompanied by improved suburban bus services and investment in rapid transit corridors.

In particular, I continue to advocate for enhancement of the Dee Why to Chatswood corridor. The success of the B-Line demonstrates what can be achieved when we invest properly in public transport. A strengthened Dee Why to Chatswood rapid bus service would provide a second high-quality public transport spine for the northern beaches and better connect residents with the metro network. The second priority is the Officeworks intersection at Pittwater and Warringah roads. While I continue to support investigating a long-term grade separation solution, I also welcome the more immediate improvements identified through the review and urge the Government to prioritise them.

The northern beaches area needs action now, but it also needs a vision for the future. The network review provides an opportunity to make meaningful short- and medium-term improvements. The Government should fund and deliver those projects. But beyond that, we need a genuine long-term transport strategy that matches the growth occurring across our region and gives residents confidence that transport infrastructure will keep pace with population growth.

24 June 2026, 19:46.