Foley launches Country Labor's campaign
NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley has launched Country Labor's election campaign in the Hunter Valley with a $50 million promise to upgrade Muswellbrook Hospital.
A state Labor government will also spend $23 million for upgrades to Hunter region roads, Mr Foley told a gathering of about 200 party faithful at the Singleton Showgrounds.
"The Liberals and Nationals savagely shortchanged the Hunter and the Illawarra from previous sales of their ports - a Labor Government will right that wrong by putting more of the return from those sales back in the regions and surrounding areas where it belongs," he said.
"Labor's investment in rural and regional NSW shows that we can build the infrastructure we need without privatising our electricity network and driving up power bills," he said.
Labor is hoping to pick up a number of seats in the Hunter region, after the district was rocked by a series of corruption allegations against sitting state MPs at the ICAC last year.
Swansea and Port Stephens are two electorates held by the Liberals by margins of 0.3 per cent and 14.7 per cent, but MPs Garry Edwards and Craig Baumann were dis-endorsed by the party after being dragged into ICAC investigations.
Mr Baumann is not contesting the 2015 election, while Mr Edwards will stand as an independent.
