Bringing freight and road infrastructure back into the policy conversation seen as ministerial highlights
Former New South Wales freight minister Duncan Gay has farewelled the party that he served for more than 40 years in a speech at its central council meeting in Broken Hill.
Gay announced his last sitting day in the New South Wales Legislative Council will be June 22.
One of the few politicians in any state to have had experience running a trucking company, while also managing his family farm, he was appointed minister for roads, maritime and freight from 2011 until this year.
Before politics, he served in the Army Reserve 12 Company Royal Australian Army Service Corp (Transport) at Marrickville and the 19th Royal NSW Regiment (Infantry) at Holsworthy.
A life member of the NSW Nationals, he has been a party member since 1974.
“As a young grazier from Crookwell, I would have never dreamed of being one of the state’s longest serving ministers for roads and I could not be prouder of what we achieved in my portfolio over six years,” Gay says.
“I could not be prouder of what we achieved in my portfolio over six years.”
Gay used the address to note developments during his tenure.
“Since becoming minister in 2011, I have spearheaded major motorway projects in Sydney like WestConnex and NorthConnex, championed the movement of freight from ‘paddock to port’ and driven key rod safety initiatives.”
The party praised him for new initiatives, such as Bridges for the Bush and Fixing Country Roads, and rail initiatives to move regionally sourced export commodities.
“Under previous governments, freight was a dirty word,” Gay says.
He was first elected as a member of the Legislative Council in March.
In 2011, he was made a life member of the party.