A Shorten Labor Government will invest $700 million to build the Morley-Ellenbrook line in Perth’s north-east as the first allocation from its $1.6 billion Fair Share for WA fund.
 
The project will be undertaken in partnership with the McGowan Labor Government and will create thousands of jobs in the Perth region.
 
Labor’s Fair Share for WA fund means more funding, more infrastructure and more jobs for Western Australia.
 
The West hasn’t been getting its fair share from Canberra – that is why Labor’s Fair Share for WA fund brings Commonwealth funding for Western Australia up to the equivalent of a 70 cent GST floor.
 
The Liberals shouldn’t be hiding behind a report on the GST before acting. Western Australians want jobs and infrastructure for their state – that’s what a Shorten Labor Government will deliver.
 
The rail line to Ellenbrook commitment is real funding for a job-boosting project that will see the West grow.
 
The new line, part of the Perth METRONET, will connect the north-eastern suburbs to world-class public transport from Ellenbrook to the city, linking passengers to the major employment hubs of Malaga and Morley along the way.
 
With funding to be provided in the first Budget of a Shorten Labor Government, construction  is set to  commence in 2019, with detailed planning and design work already underway by the McGowan Government.
 
While Labor delivers more infrastructure and more jobs for WA, Turnbull and the Liberals are starting fights with other states without offering solutions.
 
Malcolm Turnbull keeps saying he recognises the GST shortfall – but he’s not doing anything to fix it.
 
WA needs its fair share of funding – and that’s what Labor will deliver.
 
Labor’s decision to allocate the first tranche of funding from the Fair Share for WA fund to a rail line is part of our commitment to giving Australians a public transport system fit for the 21^st century after years of Liberal cuts and inaction.
 
While Turnbull loves a taking selfies while riding on trains, only Labor will actually invest in our nation’s railway system.
 
Without transformative projects like the Morley-Ellenbrook Line, the economic cost of traffic congestion in Perth will increase almost nine-fold to $15.9 billion a year by 2031.
 
Labor has a proud infrastructure record in WA.
 
The former Labor Government invested a record $6.9 billion on WA infrastructure, increasing per capita investment from $154 per West Australian to $261.
 
This investment delivered major projects including Gateway WA, the Perth City Link, the Swan Valley Bypass, and upgrades of the Leach, Tonkin, Great Northern and North West Coastal highways.
 
While the Liberals keep talking, Labor is acting. We’ll deliver more funding, more infrastructure and more jobs for WA.
 
More information can be found here.

FRIDAY, 13 OCTOBER 2017