Peter Dutton will make the Suburban Rail Loop a central issue at the upcoming federal election, calling for it to be ditched and the $2.2bn in promised federal funds redirected to the state’s crumbling roads.
Again this is typical liberal party confirmation bias. The roads are a mess because of the failed freight policies of the current government. How will ditching an important strategic rail project assist with the longer term management of Victorian roads? It will not. There is nothing “strategic” about road maintenance payments when you have no plan to reduce that maintenance burden.
The only way Dutton’s comments can be adequately (remembering the Coalition Government build the Western Sydney Airport with out a business case), understood is he plays politics at all levels taking using one hand and handing back with another.
There are some projects that should be above politics, these include the SRL. The Melbourne Airport Link and electrification of the Geelong and Ballarat rail Iines.
Melbourne needs the Suburban Rail Loop and many other rail projects, that are vitally important for the future of the state. We also need to reduce the number of trucks on inner Melbourne roads thereby making our roads safer.
With regard to the response and posture by Peter Dutton, Dutton hates Melbourne. When in government Melbourne was robbed of funding for much needed projects. He is a Queenslander and a former Queensland police officer, I would hardly rely on this guy to do the right thing.
Do you recall the business case for the North East Link the road that was pitched to reduce congestion and would have little impact on the environment? That project will exceed $30b without a business case and create a large amount of congestion on the eastern freeway. This project was handed $billions by Albanese a man who refuses to provide funding for more environmentally sound rail projects.
Decades of inaction by Victorian and Federal Governments in assisting what is now Australia’s largest city sees a huge backlog of projects desperately needed. SRL is one of these projects.
