It needs to start thinking about the impact on the communities. Once the trees are gone it is forever.

The recent comments by NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro, concerning the fact that bushfire relief payments were mainly paid to Coalition held seats, have been condemned by many in the community. Barilaro was however simply pointing out the obvious when he said these payments amounted to "pork barrelling... you want to call that buying votes... it's what the elections are for..." This was, as he went on to say, "something of which I am very proud." While many may ascribe this view of pork barrel funding to some unprincipled ulterior motivation on his behalf, it is in fact no more than the by now accepted modus operandi of many modern NSW Coalition politicians.

As a retired civil engineer and resident of Bawley Point, I object to the standard of analysis in the Milton Ulladulla Bypass evaluation report. There are several major flaws in that report which have combined to produce a highly questionable conclusion. The most serious flaw is the assumption that bypass Option 1 could be properly considered in total isolation of the proposed future upgrade of the Princes Highway. It has apparently been assumed that the two are unconnected. They are not. And, as Transport for NSW (TfNSW) are responsible for implementing both, it is obvious that their left hand has no idea what their right hand is doing.

TfNSW has released a document titled "Princes Highway Upgrade Roadmap 2040" which specifies that planning and construction of two lanes each way will be undertaken on the Princes Highway between Burrill Lake and Batemans Bay within the short and medium term, between 2020 and 2034. In that document, overtaking lanes, as opposed to two lanes in each direction, are only proposed south of Batemans Bay.

Adoption of the LEP route (Option 1) will therefore channel all future Princes Highway traffic through Burrill Lake. This will mean future Princes Highway upgrade works will result in unacceptable outcomes for the residents of Burrill Lake by physically dividing their community, reduced accessibility, forced property acquisitions, duplication of the Burrill Lake Bridge, the almost certain need for a grade-separated intersection at Canberra Crescent, disruption to existing pedestrian and cycleway linkages, disruption during construction, additional traffic noise and higher pollution.

None of these unacceptable outcomes have been considered in the bypass evaluation report, yet they are all central to the making of a competent and professional decision. It is gross professional negligence to regard these matters as collateral damage of a future phase of construction when they are an undeniable future legacy of the decisions made in the evaluation of the Milton Ulladulla Bypass options. These future unacceptable outcomes should have been given consideration in the evaluation of the alternate Milton Ulladulla bypass options and given appropriate weight in that evaluation.

The residents of Milton, Ulladulla and surrounding areas are entitled to a competent and professional evaluation of all bypass options. That evaluation must have regard to the character, liveability and safety of our constituent communities. At the very least, it must have regard to any adverse effects of the proposed highway upgrade.