Labor candidate Katelin McInerney has formally launched her campaign for the seat of Kiama in the 25 March State Election.

Out seeking votes since her candidacy was announced last August, she says people have been telling her their major concerns are about lack of state funding for roads, schools, housing, public transport and health.

"This State Government and our current Member have had 12 long years in power and during that time we have seen a road delivered that was started under Labor initiative," Ms McInerney says.

"We have a bypass to take Sydneysiders to their holiday houses in record time.

"But what have they delivered to communities either side of that road? People are telling me not a lot.

"We’ve seen a crisis in our health system and a crisis in our education system with schools going unbuilt in new growth areas."

Katelin with NSW Labor leader Chris Minns

As an example, she cites schools at the northern end of the Kiama electorate - Mt Terry running at 135 per cent capacity and Tullimbar running at 164 per cent capacity - and that no new schools have been built for the 2500 new homes that have been built at Calderwood.

"Nothing has been done in Calderwood to provide the infrastucture that is required," she says.

Ms McInerney is excited by Labor's commitments to increase resourcing to the education and health systems, including higher pay and converting 10,000 existing temporary teacher roles to permanent.

"I've met a teacher who has been on a six month contract for seven years. They can't get a mortgage as there is no certainty," she says.

"Under this Government's watch we have slid from third best in the world in literacy to 23rd best, with similar slides in maths and science."

Amongst other things, she also contends that train services to Kiama have also been neglected.

"Under the guise of COVID our services were cut by stealth," she says.

"I went and stood in front of a timetable from 1889 and you look at how long it took you to get to Sydney then by steam train. There are times when you’ve got buses and whatever and it takes you a damn sight longer to get to Kiama than it used to on a steam train.

"You should be able to get from Kiama to Sydney by train in two hours. There is nothing stopping this line functioning better other than the fact this Government hasn’t put a brass rarzoo into duplicating the line where they know it is needed."

With the housing crisis another major issue, Ms McInerney says that while the State Government has no plan to make housing more affordable, the Labor policy will see the South Coast benefit first.

"Our build-to-rent scheme will be run out in a $30 million pilot program here, using surplus government land, to attract key workers up and down the South Coast. It is an investment that Labor is keen to make, and once successful we will role it out elsewhere." 

In response to the latest round of funding from various State programs that the Member for Kiama and independent candidate, Gareth Ward, is saying he has 'secured', Ms McInerney says, "It can be difficult to see through the spin that the current Member and the State Government are putting up for normal community grant processes. It takes away from the work community groups do themselves to attract that kind of money.

"A local member has very little to do with the decision making because they are independent processes, often run at arms length by government. When they aren't, they effectively amount to pork barrelling."

While unable to provide a firm commitment, Ms McInerney is supportive of the caveat being lifted on the sale of Council's Spring Creek land and is expecting Jamberoo Mountain Road to be taken over as a regionally significant road. She says that Labor has committed to reviewing the capacity of the Bombo treatment plant as soon as it gets into power.

Ms McInerney will be standing against Gareth Ward (as an independent) and Tonia Gray for The Greens. It has been reported in other media that writer Gail Morgan will be the Liberal candidate, but this has not been officially announced.