“It was just a scam to win votes in East Melbourne, because as one of its first actions … it raised $ 4 billion in infrastructure funding to support a vital road project,” he said. .
The Age reported on Monday that the East West Link was one of the projects the incoming Albanian government was seeking to control in order to control the budget.
Prime Minister Daniel Andrews expects more funding from federal work for his Suburban Rail Loop project. Credit: AAP
While funding for the controversial highway has been buried, Andrews said Thursday morning that he hoped his federal Labor colleagues would pour more money into the state’s large suburban Rail Loop project.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged $ 2.2 billion for the first stage of the orbital rail loop, which runs from Cheltenham to Box Hill, before last month’s election, but Victoria is looking for $ 9.3 billion more.
The first phase of the project will cost up to $ 34.5 billion and will open in 2035.
“I have had several talks with the new Prime Minister,” Andrews said at a site in Clayton, south-east Melbourne, marking the start of preparatory work for the project.
“So we’re looking forward to more announcements over that $ 2.2 billion and, in fact, more funding beyond that.”
Infrastructure experts have said Albanese would likely wait for a decision on the Infrastructure Australia project, after Labor pledged to restore the role of the independent adviser in guiding spending decisions.
Andrews said on Thursday that he was expecting a decision on the Infrastructure Australia project soon, and that it might have already been completed had it not been for the interim period before the May elections.
Loading
However, he would not dare to say whether Albanese would unlock more funds for the suburban rail loop without a positive assessment from the federal adviser.
“We will wait to see how this process goes. But we are very confident that there will be a positive assessment of this project.”
The second proposed section of the suburban loop would run from Box Hill to Melbourne Airport and open by 2050, followed by a final link through the western suburbs to Werribee.
The morning edition newsletter is our guide to the most important and interesting stories, analysis, and insights of the day. Register here.