THE state government is urging the Gillard government to fund its proposed east-west road tunnel after the Australia’s independent infrastructure umpire put it on a list of national priorities.
The east west link road, which would run 18 kilometres underground to connect the Eastern Freeway with the Western Ring Road, is one of 20 national projects flagged as having “real potential” by Infrastructure Australia in its annual priority list released today.
Victorian Treasurer Kim Wells said the acknowledgement was evidence that the project deserved funding from the federal government.
“We call on Julia Gillard, and the Gillard Labor government, to make sure they get behind their own advisory body, Infrastructure Australia, and make sure the east west tunnel is properly funded,” he said outside a drilling site in Flemington earlier today.
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The Victorian government has already committed $15 million to start test drilling and build a business case for the proposal.
It is seeking an additional $30 million from Canberra to fund further development.
The inclusion of the freeway link on the priority list creates a difficult situation for state Labor. The Greens are unambiguously opposed and are actively campaigning against the link in the lead-up to the July 21 by-election for the inner city seat of Melbourne.
State Labor’s position appears more nuanced. Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews said he did not support a proposal that would mean more congestion in the city. But he stopped short of ruling out the project altogether, promising a fully “costed and funded” transport plan before the 2014 election.
“I don’t believe in coning people, I believe in actually laying out a clear vision and being committed to it, doing the hard work,” Mr Andrews said.
“I have always said, Hoddle Street is the challenge, Hoddle Street should be the priority and the government should stop taking the people of Melbourne … for mugs by pretending and not providing any detail on this particular project.”
Mr Wells said the opposition party was rejecting the idea on political grounds.
“They are opposed because they are trying to save their skin in the by-election for Melbourne,” he said.
“They need to put that opposition aside, support the Baillieu government to make sure this project is fully funded.”
In an application to Melbourne City Council, the Baillieu government has requested approval for 13 test drilling sites in Royal Park and surrounding suburbs to plan for the multibillion-dollar project.
In an indication of its preferred route for the tunnel, maps show the drill sites run in a direct line from Alexandra Parade under the Melbourne Cemetery and Royal Park.
Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has pledged $1.5 billion to kickstart the project if he becomes prime minister. With the project now on Infrastructure Australia’s priority list Prime Minister Julia Gillard is also likely to pledge funding.
Greens upper house MP Greg Barber urged Ms Gillard to provide “not one cent” for the project and instead put the money into a public transport alternative.
“Daniel Andrews doesn’t know where he stands on this policy. Daniel Andrews really needs to say what he thinks Julia Gillard should do,” Mr Barber said.
