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Independent Member for Pittwater Jacqui Scruby was elected to the NSW parliament in only October of 2024, and in the short time since, she has made progress in leaps and bounds. We asked about her experience as the 'Member for Mona Vale Road'.
In June 2025, you secured $250 million to complete Mona Vale Road. What did it take to make that happen?
It was a huge moment for Pittwater. Our community has been promised a four-lane road since 1966, back when our local Liberal member was Premier. When Labor pulled the funding in 2023, people doubted the money would be returned.
Being an Independent MP made the government sit up and take notice. But ultimately, it came down to sustained pressure. Bringing the NSW Premier, Chris Minns, to visit the site made it impossible to ignore how critical this road is for safety, congestion, and bushfire evacuation, particularly in the wake of the LA Fires in 2025. But this was a genuine community effort, with my petition demonstrating how important this issue is to our electorate.
Huge credit also goes to Dr Scamps MP, who lobbied hard at a federal level. Although $250m from the federal government was not a guarantee, there's no doubt it put significant pressure on the NSW government to match it and give the green light to the project.
With funding secured, what challenges remain and what's the timeline now?
Announcements are one thing, however our community wants to know when construction will actually start. Road projects take so long; Mona Vale Road East took six years from the time of contract award, and this will be similar, so maintaining pressure is critical.
Many people were under the impression that Mona Vale Road West was shovel-ready, but Labor pulling the funding meant some approvals lapsed and other critical steps like land acquisitions were never undertaken, but they are underway now.
In Question Time in Parliament recently, I asked the Minister to update the Legislative Assembly and advise when construction is going to start. Current update: relocation of gas pipelines and property acquisitions to begin within months, likely including a small section of Baha'i Temple land, and I was very happy to hear that contractor engagement has been brought forward by a year to 2027.
I've also called on the Minister to visit the electorate and front local media, and have put the call out to anyone in the electorate to send me questions they want put to the Minister. My focus is making sure this project keeps moving. I consider myself the 'Member for Mona Vale Road', so people can rest assured I'm focused on delivering it.
Will fauna fencing or virtual fencing technology be included to protect wildlife?
Protecting wildlife is a strong community priority. I've sought assurances from the Minister, who confirmed Transport for NSW is committed to fauna connectivity structures and is working on final designs. Virtual fencing is promising and worth serious consideration. I'll be raising this as a Question on Notice when Parliament resumes.
Once Mona Vale Road is complete, what's next for you?
Mona Vale Road is critical and it's only one part of what's happening in Pittwater.
A year and a half since the election, we've secured major investment for Pittwater, from Mona Vale Road and Narrabeen Athletics Track to funding certainty as Northern Beaches Hospital transitions to public hands, but the job is far from finished.
The past year has shown how quickly new pressures emerge, whether it's shark attacks, transport failures, storm damage, or e-bike safety concerns. My focus now is on locking in practical, long-term solutions: protecting hospital services, improving e-bike regulation, delivering safer beaches, more reliable buses and stronger coastal resilience. And of course, fighting hard to prevent overdevelopment. I'll keep listening, keep pushing and keep holding decision-makers to account to ensure Pittwater isn't overlooked.
Want to keep the pressure on Mona Vale Road? Follow Jacqui's progress and have your say at jacquiscruby.com.au.
Jacqui Scruby MP | Member for Pittwater | @jacquiscrubyindependent | jacquiscruby.com.au
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