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Hawkesbury residents are demanding answers after it was revealed that the Minns Government ordered taxpayer-funded consultants and public servants to model the political impact of toll reform on individual electorates.
Documents released to Parliament show that in January 2025, while four toll reform options were under consideration, the Transport Minister’s office directed staff to assess how each option would affect electorates, essentially mapping the political winners and losers.
Robyn Preston MP, Member for Hawkesbury, called the move “an unethical misuse of public resources.”
“Hawkesbury residents are among the heaviest users of Sydney’s toll roads because many have no alternative. Toll roads are not a luxury for them—they are a necessity,” she said.
“If the Minister’s office was using taxpayer-funded consultants and public servants to model the political impact of toll reform instead of focusing on meaningful cost relief for commuters, Hawkesbury families deserve to know why.”
Ms Preston stressed that while the Opposition supports toll reform, transparency and integrity are essential.
“Our community pays thousands of dollars a year in tolls. They expect genuine reform that delivers fairer outcomes, not behind-closed-doors political calculations about which electorates benefit or lose,” she said.
The revelations raise questions about whether the Ministerial Code of Conduct, which requires ministers to act in the public interest, was breached.
The Opposition is demanding answers, including why the modelling was undertaken, whether the findings were shared outside the Minister’s office, and if the Minister himself was aware of the work.
Critics say the taxpayer-funded work appears focused on political advantage rather than transport policy, coming at a time when negotiations with toll road concessionaires were already underway.
With tolls a daily reality for many Hawkesbury residents commuting to work, school, and medical appointments, Ms Preston says the community deserves reforms that genuinely reduce costs not political calculations done on their behalf.
