Victorian Roads Budget

Shadow Minister for Roads and Infrastructure, Ryan Smith

Melbourne motorists will continue to be stuck in gridlock traffic despite the Daniel Andrews’ increasing taxes by 20.7% since the election.
Daniel Andrews’ budget shows that state taxes have jumped by $3.7 billion or 20.7% in just two years.
But despite this record tax increase, the budget provided nothing to make any meaningful improvement to Melbourne’s crippling traffic congestion.
Before the last election, Daniel Andrews promised that the Westgate Distributor was fully funded and shovel-ready.  Eighteen months later, Melbourne motorists are yet to see a single shovel.
Daniel Andrews’ plan for Hoddle Street only involves work on just one intersection on Hoddle and Swan Streets.  It will do nothing to improve congestion and relieve frustration for the motorists that use that road every day.
Regional Victorians continue to drive on country roads that are literally crumbling away, Daniel Andrews’ promised $1 billion for the maintenance of these roads has failed to materialise.
As for the crippling congestion on Punt Road, it now appears to be off Daniel Andrews’ to do list with the government claiming the gridlock has been fixed.
Important arterial roads like Thompsons Road in the south-east of Melbourne and Yan Yean Road in the northern suburbs are well behind schedule with any benefits likely to be undone by the huge growth of population in these areas.
That is why we have formed the Victorian Population Taskforce to meet the big challenges like managing population growth and how that creates new jobs and protects the way we live.  Every year, Victoria’s population grows by around 100,000 people and 92 per cent of that growth is in Melbourne.
Our first budget will be focused on a whole of government approach to regionalising our population growth, taking pressure off Melbourne and its infrastructure and growing all of our state through an incentive based Victorian population policy.  Unlike Daniel Andrews, our budget will be about jobs, infrastructure and the way we live.

Media contact:  James Duncan  0457 758 018      james.duncan@opposition.vic.gov.au