The transport minister says Victoria is being “short-changed”
Victorian transport and infrastructure minister Jacinta Allan is accusing the Federal government of short-changing Victoria on infrastructure funding ahead of the budget package for freight terminals being confirmed this week.
The freight terminals package released for most of Australia’s state and territories offers up to $17.9 billion in infrastructure, with Queensland receiving $3.9 billion while Victoria will get $3.3 billion.
The Victorian government is also questioning the Federal government about their move to prioritise a freight terminal in Melbourne’s north instead of following the Victorian government’s location preference.
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The Victorian government are at odds with the Federal government about the location of a primary freight terminal
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The new freight terminal in Melbourne’s north will form part of a $3.1 billion boost into Melbourne’s intermodal terminal scheme.
The nation-wide $17.9 billion infrastructure package will be put towards new and existing road and rail projects over the next decade, including in key marginal seats.
Two Victorian freight terminals will be built in Melbourne’s north and another in the western suburbs as part of the $3.3 billion infrastructure funding for Victoria.
According to the Federal government, up to 550 trucks will be taken off Melbourne’s roads every day once the terminals are completed.
Allan is against the two freight terminals and says that two-thirds of the package had already been announced.
“Now we’re having that $2 billion re-heated and put into another package,” Allan says.
“Once again, as we’ve seen on so many occasions under our current Federal government, we see Victoria being short-changed.”
Roughly $1.2 billion will be committed to a freight terminal at Beveridge in Melbourne’s north, while $740 million will be put towards a freight terminal at Truganina in the western suburbs.
A further $1.2 billion will fund surrounding road and rail connections, with the funding being conditional and requiring financial contributions from the Victorian government.
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The Federal and Victorian governments are also clashing over the preferred location of a single freight hub, with the state government favouring Truganina while the Federal government has opted for the Beveridge site.
“The western suburbs are the heart of Australia’s freight and logistics industry,” Allan says.
“It’s the terminal that’s actually going to have the most impact in getting trucks off the roads.”
Allan and the Victorian government says it will continue to push for the Truganina option as the main freight terminal in the state, leading to calls from Victorian opposition leader Matthew Guy that the state government is “treating the Federal government like an ATM”.