Victorian Government seeks federal funding for six major city-shaping projects in its submission to advisory body Infrastructure Australia
Ruza Zivkusic-Aftasi | August 7, 2012
The Victorian Government has sought federal funding for six major city-shaping projects in its submission to advisory body Infrastructure Australia.
East-West Link is at the top of the government’s priority list, with the project to act as an alternative to the highly trafficked M1 freeway. The East-West Link is designed to reduce congestion on the West Gate Bridge and M1 corridor for the east-west freight flow across the city.
The government also wants to expand the Port of Hastings, deliver the Dandenong Rail Capacity Program, build the Western Interstate Freight Terminal and complete the M80 upgrade.
Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu says the projects could address the state’s infrastructure backlog, generate jobs and investment and deliver growth and prosperity.
He says the government is investing $5.8 billion for infrastructure while the Federal Government is reducing its funding.
“The federal Labor government short-changed Victoria in this year’s Federal Budget. For the first time in memory, the Commonwealth gave Victoria less infrastructure funding than any other state,” Baillieu says.
Melbourne is a key hub for interstate and export freight movements, with the Port of Melbourne handling around 36 percent of the nation’s container trade, making it the country’s largest container and general cargo port.
Overall trade at the port has increased by 9.1 percent in the 2011-12 financial year. Around 25 percent of the nation’s interstate road freight originates in or is destined for Melbourne.
According to the government’s infrastructure submission, a better road network is needed in Melbourne to allow for growing freight volumes. The submission says agricultural exports contribute 28 percent to the national total, making Victoria the largest food and fibre exporting state at $8 billion.
Dairy is the state’s largest goods export sector with $1.89 billion of exports made in 2010-11, which is up by 15 percent from the previous year.
Nearly 45 percent of containerised export that goes through the Port of Melbourne consists of agricultural and meat products, with the bulk originating from Victoria.
