Labor and the coalition need to get over their obsession with motorways, and redirect $2.2 billion of federal funding into light rail, the Australian Greens say.
Greens NSW Senate candidate Cate Faehrmann says that amount of funding - earmarked for privately-owned motorways, such as the Westconnex in Sydney - should go instead to light rail.
She wants $1.7 billion to go to funding the western Sydney light rail network to Parramatta CBD and $500 million to kick-start construction on the first leg of a light rail network from Central
to Leichhardt.
"What that means is not putting government funding towards the WestConnex giant lemon," Ms Faehrmann told reporters in Sydney.
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Former prime minister Julia Gillard pledged $1.8 billion for the proposed 33km highway in Sydney's west, with a number of conditions.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has previously promised $1.5 billion with no contingency on roads remaining toll free.
Ms Faehrmann said the Greens would be doing all they could to counter the major parties' "obsession with motorways".
"New motorways are very 1970s, light rail is 2013. Yet we don't have Tony Abbott, Kevin Rudd or Barry O'Farrell thinking that way."
Ms Faehrmann accused Mr Abbott of "not wanting to fund public transport, full stop".
"He is obsessed with motorways like the state O'Farrell government is."
