With western Sydney shaping up as a prime battleground in the NSW election, the government has begun drip feeding funding announcements for community projects in the crucial area.
The government has a substantial war chest in 'WestInvest', a $5 billion community investment fund created by the $20.4 billion sale of WestConnex - the entire conglomerate of Sydney's toll roads.
WestInvest includes $3 billion for government agencies delivering "transformational projects", $400 million providing up to $35 million in funding for 15 western Sydney councils, and $1.6 billion in grants for local community groups, which councils can also apply for.
Premier Dominic Perrottet says the west will benefit from the government's asset recycling and got the ball rolling on Monday, flagging $24 million for four projects for Canterbury-Bankstown council in Sydney's southwest.
Treasurer Matt Kean followed up on Tuesday announcing Burwood in the inner west, would be getting $20.7 billion for eight community projects including "new and expanded local parks, gardens and playgrounds and an innovative library pod".
The premier flagged there would be numerous announcements in the coming months about how the funding would be spread across the west and southwest, but denied it was to curry favour with residents who endured the strictest lockdowns during the height of the pandemic.
Labor says the privatisation of Sydney's toll roads had created a monopoly that was "effectively putting a secret tax on the families of western Sydney".
Opposition Leader Chris Minns declined to call the WestInvest grants 'pork barrelling' but said the government was handing out money that already belonged to the people of NSW.
"It has effectively been paid for ... out of the pockets of the families of western Sydney via toll roads," he said on Tuesday.
"I don't think it's a fair trade off," he said.
"It seems like Mr Perrottet's standing up every 24 hours expecting the people of this state to be grateful that he privatised the toll road network," he said.
"We effectively have a 100 per cent privately owned toll road monopoly."
