NSW's infrastructure minister denies the cost of three Sydney road projects have blown out by about $1.4 billion in the last financial year.
Rob Stokes said the government's M6, WestConnex and Sydney Gateway projects all remained within their budgeted figures for 2021/22, after a Transport for NSW spokesperson told Nine Newspapers the projects had increased by $1.4 billion.
Questioned at a budget estimates committee hearing on whether the M6's costs had risen by $400 million, Mr Stokes said the project's budgeted figure had not changed, according to his advice.
"My understanding is that the budget for the project, which I think was $3.115 billion, continues to be the budget for the project," the infrastructure minister told the hearing on Monday.
Labor MLC John Graham asked Mr Stokes why a spokesperson from Transport for NSW had claimed the three projects, including the M6, the Sydney Gateway and the WestConnex Rozelle Interchange, were over budget.
"I'm being honest, and I'm pointing you to the budget papers," Mr Stokes said.
"The costs that you refer to are captured in the budget papers.
"The $3.115 billion figure is in the budget papers."
Shadow treasurer Daniel Mookhey also asked the cost of the Sydney Gateway, to which Mr Stokes responded he did not have an "encyclopedic memory of every project".
"I think you'll find it's $2.1 billion," he said.
Mr Mookhey said recent publications on work sites indicated the updated cost to be $2.5 billion.
He said the Transport for NSW spokesperson's claims added up to a doubling of the project's original costing, and construction was about $775 million per kilometre, while WestConnex cost $509 per kilometre.
The Transport for NSW spokesperson attributed the cost blowout to the rising price of labour and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Stokes did not agree.
The 2020-2021 Report on State Finances, tabled in parliament last month, found the budget for construction of the Sydney Gateway, the M6 Stage 1 and the WestConnex Rozelle Interchange had blown out by $1.4 billion.
The report detailed costs for Transport for NSW for the 2020/21 financial year were $9.68 billion, up from $8.26 billion in 2019/20, and said the rise was "driven by (commitments to) M6 Stage 1, WCX Rozelle Interchange, and Sydney Gateway".
The Sydney Gateway project is a series of new roads between St Peters and Sydney's domestic and international airport.
The Rozelle interchange is an underground motorway with a link to Victoria Road and the Iron Cove Bridge and Anzac Bridge, and Western Harbour Tunnel.
The M6 Stage 1 is a four-kilometre tunnel connecting the M5 at Arncliffe to President Ave at Kogarah in south Sydney. The project is the first of three stages designed to provide better access to south Sydney.
