Infrastructure Victoria board

Shadow Infrastructure Minister, Ryan Smith

Today’s announcement of board members for Infrastructure Victoria is not the first time a Labor Government has claimed they have de-politicised infrastructure decisions by seeking independent advice.

In 2007, former Premier Steve Bracks said that Sir Rod Eddington had “great credentials in the transport industry worldwide and in Australia” and his report would be “comprehensive” and provide “good, long-term planning to make Victoria a much more liveable state”. (Hansard, 1 March 2007).

A year later Tim Pallas expressed his “gratitude” to Sir Rod Eddington for completing an independent report that was “his own work” (Hansard, 8 April 2008).

A couple of months later, then Premier John Brumby said that meeting the infrastructure recommendations of the Eddington Report would involve construction “for the best part of a decade” (Hansard, 11 June 2008).

Since then, most of those independent recommendations for infrastructure projects have been trashed by Daniel Andrews.

And now, Daniel Andrews has announced new board members, including three departmental secretaries who are duty bound to implement government policy, and who could be described as anything but “independent”.

Attributable to Shadow Infrastructure Minister Ryan Smith:

Daniel Andrews has just re-politicised the infrastructure process in Victoria.

Daniel Andrews has stacked his board with ‘yes men’ who will not provide the independent advice he claims he wants.

This is just more evidence of Daniel Andrews playing politics instead of getting on with the job of building infrastructure.

Media contact:        John Deller 0400 496 596    john.deller@opposition.vic.gov.au