There has never been a more exciting time to be in Macarthur.
If that statement sounds eerily familiar it’s because someone has been saying it for six months or so.
That someone is our Prime Minister and in fact it’s what he said on first getting the top job: “There’s never been a more exciting time to be an Australian’’.
Today at a rather large lunch gathering at Wests Leagues Club – 400 guests – Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull nicely twisted his famous saying to suit his local audience, and they loved it.
“There has never been a more exciting time to be in Macarthur,’’ the PM said at the end of his speech to enthusiastic applause.
The function, a combined Macarthur chambers of commerce luncheon, was a roaring success, attracting the cream of the local business and local government community, from Ingleburn to Wollondilly Shire.
The Prime Minister was introduced by his Liberal Party colleague, the Member for Macarthur, Russell Matheson, in a passionate speech about how proud he was to be part of the Campbelltown and Macarthur region for many years.
Mr Turnbull confirmed what everyone knows: “if the Senate rejects the ABCC legislation we’re off to the polls on July 2 for a double dissolution election’’.
If not, “well, we will have an election sometime in August, September or October,’’ he said.
Mr Turnbull promised that the Badgerys Creek airport would be a game changer in western Sydney, bringing thousands of new jobs – 11,000 initially during construction and more than 60,000 in the longer term.
He said that his government was seriously looking at the economic impact of having a railway connection ready to go when the airport opened around 2025.
“We want to see if having a rail connection to the airport and across western Sydney can help bring better access to jobs for the people of western Sydney,’’ he said.
“The future of Sydney is in western Sydney,’’ Mr Turnbull said.
“More than 11,000 businesses and homes in Macarthur have been connected to the NBN and thousands more will be by June this year and beyond.
“As all business people here today know technology and innovation are very important.
“That’s why every lever of government policy is now aimed at growth and jobs in our economy.
“And we are doing well, with three per cent growth and more than 300,000 new jobs.
“It’s never been a more exciting time to be an Australian – it’s never been a more exciting time to be in Macarthur.’’
