By NOEL MURPHY
STATE Labor has abandoned Geelong on multiple fronts, opposition leader Matthew Guy claimed this week in a savage attack on Spring Street.
Mr Guy said the Andrews Government had misled Geelong about its Bay West container port proposal, stalled inexplicably on a planning authority for the central city area and given Geelong’s Land 400 defence bid no more than “a shingle on a door”.
The Government had also failed to provide a sorely-needed hospital for Geelong’s north, ignored the city’s convention centre proposal, foregone East West Link job and transport opportunities and stalled on an MCG-style trust for Kardinia Park, he told the Independent.
“If we’d done the same, we’d be getting rightfully kicked.”
Mr Guy said the Government talked up its propopsed Bay West container port east of Geelong before the election but had now revealed a non-competition clause in its plan to lease Melbourne’s port.
“There’s no second port for 50 to 70 years – they’ve completely misled the city.”
Mr Guy had heard “absolutely nothing” about Labor’s much-vaunted Geelong planning authority.
“I’ve been the planning minister and I can tell you straight out…if they wanted to put in place a planning authority you could do it in a couple of days.”
Mr Guy attacked the Government’s failure to lobby for a share of the $10 billion Land 400 defence contracts.
“There’s no substance and South Australia is putting tens of millions of dollars into this to get the Land 400 project. They’ve already got departments set up.
“A shingle on a door out at Deakin isn’t going to cut it.”
Mr Guy said the MCG-style trust for Kardinia Park was “not a bad idea but I don’t know where it is”.
The previous coalition goverment had committed $5 million for “a serious look” at developing a Geelong convention centre but Labor had done nothing, he said.
Mr Guy accused the Government of “spin, all talk and no action”.
A Government spokesperson said Geelong went backwards under the Liberals.
“We’re getting Geelong back on track,” the spokesperson said.
“Our Regional Rail Link will add 200 services every week between Geelong and Melbourne, while the Western Distributor will wipe 15 minutes off travel time between Melbourne and Geelong, providing a second river crossing to reduce pressure on the West Gate Bridge.
“This is in contrast to the Liberals’ botched and financially reckless East West Link which would have lost Geelong taxpayers 55 cents in every dollar spent on it.”
The spokesperson said the Victorian Defence Procurement Office was promoting “Victorian business and research capabilities” for Land 400.
“Unlike the Liberals, we have stood by the defence industry since day one and we hope Matthew Guy is also speaking with his federal counterparts to ensure they end the long-standing uncertainty for workers in the Victorian defence industry.”
