Tony Abbott has indicated that if elected the Coalition will rip $19 billion out of the transport portfolio.
Last night in his Budget Reply speech, Mr Abbott showed his contempt for public transport by not committing a single dollar to key transformational projects like the Cross River Rail in Brisbane or the Melbourne Metro.
While this antagonism towards public transport is extraordinary, it’s also not surprising. Indeed, the attitude towards public transport is one of the great dividing lines in Australian politics.
In September, voters will have a very clear choice between a Labor Government that’s
more than doubled spending on transport infrastructure and a Liberal-National Party Coalition who ripped $2 billion out of the roads budget the last time they were in office.
Tony Abbott and the Coalition simply can’t be trusted when it comes to infrastructure.
What’s more, only Federal Labor has a plan to keep our cities and our regions moving, one that involves investing in both their road
AND rail infrastructure and sets Australia up not only for the next few years, but the next few decades.
In his Budget Reply, Mr Abbott failed to commit to a long list of projects which are now in the Federal Budget, including:
NSW:
- The Missing Link between F3 to M2
- F3 productivity package (interchange upgrades along the F3 on the Central Cost)
- Bolivia Hill realignment
- Inland Rail
Queensland:
- Cross River Rail
- Ipswich Motorway – Darra to Rocklea
- Warrego Highway Upgrade
Victoria:
Tasmania:
- Freight Rail Revitalisation
- Brooker Highway
South Australia:
- South Road Upgrade between Torrens Road and Torrens River
Western Australia:
- Three Grade Separations on the Tonkin Highway
- $500 million Perth Public Transport Package
- Great Northern Highway - Muchea to Wubin Stage 2
- North West Coastal Highway (Minilya to Barradale)
- Perth to Darwin National Highway (Swan Valley Bypass)
Northern Territory:
- Tiger Brennan Drive Duplication.