$1billion wishlist

By Geelong Story Updates
Victoria has hit the Howard Government with a $1 billion funding wishlist for Geelong region road projects in the leadup to the federal election.
The State Government list includes a freeflowing link without traffic lights from stage four of Geelong’s bypass to Surf Coast Highway.
Preliminary planning for the link had included traffic lights.
Roads and Ports Minister Tim Pallas told the Independent the “4b” link would connect Anglesea Road to Surf Coast Highway at a cost of up to $194 million by 2014.
A “4c” connection from Anglesea Road to Princes Highway West would cost up to $90 million, he said.
The new legs were on top of “4a”, the Government’s existing stage four bypass plan for a $125 million overpass across the Princes Highway to Anglesea Road.
Federal Government has previously ruled out paying half of the overpass.
State Government has not previously revealed costings for 4b and 4c, which lift the total cost of stage four to as much as $409 million. The first three stages, from Corio to Waurn Ponds, had an initial price tag of $380 million.
Other inclusions on the wishlist were a renewed push for duplication of the Princes Highway between Geelong and Colac, costing up to $900 million, and cash for $60 million in road and rail work at the city’s port.
Mr Pallas said the state wanted the Commonwealth to pay up to 75 per cent of the $1.3 billion in Geelong projects under a new Auslink 2 funding package.
But he was prepared to “negotiate” on a 5050 split for the bypass projects based on the state and Commonwealth funding arrangement for the first three stages.
The Geelong region projects were included in National Transport Links – Growing Victoria’s Economy, an $11.5 billion statewide strategy seeking over $8 billion in Auslink 2 funding for 30 projects.
Auslink 2 offers about $22 billion for projects across Australia.
Mr Pallas said State Government was “deadly serious” about the strategy.
“We see this as a onceinalifetime opportunity for nation building,” he said.
“We believe these are the priority projects to keep Victoria growing economically and contributing to the nation’s economic prosperity and growth.”
Mr Pallas said the five Geelong region projects were equally important to the other 25 on the funding wishlist, such as a $2.2 billion plan to upgrade the Western Ring Road.
He said it was up to the Federal Government to choose priorities, with the state prepared to lobby equally hard for each project.
“We consider each of the Geelong projects as commendable,” Mr Pallas said.
“We’re prepared to stump up whatever it takes to get each project up.”
Federal Liberal Member for Corangamite Stewart McArthur said the new bypass and port project costings had “come out of nowhere”.
“This is a con job, total wishlist stuff,” he said.
Mr McArthur accused the State Government of “raising false hopes” about the projects when it knew they were unlikely to qualify for Auslink 2 funding, aimed at projects of national importance.
He believed the state’s ulterior motive was to use the funding bid as a tool to attack him during the leadup to the federal election.
“It’s back to the old trick: unless the Commonwealth comes good with the funding we won’t proceed with the project.”