Pick a number, any number

BILLION dollar blowouts in a raft of transport projects suggests this Labor Government is pulling numbers out of its hat and Transport Minister Luke Donnellan is simply out of his depth, says Shadow Transport Minister David Hodgett.

Daniel Andrews initially said the Metro Rail Tunnel would cost $9 billion. It’s now $11 billion and counting. That’s already a cost blowout of 22%.

Daniel Andrews originally claimed the level crossing removals program would cost $5.5 billion. It’s now $8.9 billion and counting. That’s a cost blowout of 61% with probably more to come.

Daniel Andrews said he would build the allegedly ‘shovel-ready’ West Gate Distributor for $500 million. Then it blew out to $680 million. That was a 36% blowout before he scrapped it all together and announced a multi-billion cash cow for Transurban.

To paraphrase Dale Kerrigan – Luke Donnellan thinks building roads is 10% brains and 95% muscle, the rest is just good luck.

Daniel Andrews first costed the North East Link at $6.9 billion. Six months ago he costed it at $10 billion. Then it was $13 billion. Now, the price tag is $16.5 billion that’s $1,500,000 for every metre.

It’s clear that the Andrews Labor Government will also toll the Eastern Freeway to help pay for the North East Link.

They’ve already used weasel words like “it’s not our intention” to toll the Eastern.

As Victorians well remember, Labor promised not to toll Scoresby and they promised they could scrap the East West Link without paying a single dollar in compensation. Labor just can’t be trusted on tolls.

Fitzroy North resident and Member for Narre Warren North, Luke Donnellan needs to sit down with his calculator and get his sums right.

To paraphrase Dale Kerrigan – Luke Donnellan thinks building roads is 10% brains and 95% muscle, the rest is just good luck.

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