By Luke Voogt
Geelong could have to wait 38 years for a major container port on its doorstep, following recommendations from Infrastructure Victoria.
The authority recommended Bay West, a proposed port near Werribee, over the Port of Hastings in Melbourne’s south-east, in a statement on Tuesday.
But Infrastructure Victoria chief Michael Masson said the Port of Melbourne would not reach its capacity of eight million standard containers until 2055.
Mr Masson said moving container trade to Bay West would make more “economic, social and urban planning sense” than Hastings.
“Bay West has strong transport, land use, environmental and amenity advantages when compared to Hastings.”
At $6.42 billion the Bay West option would be half the cost of the estimated $12.886 billion for Hastings, according to a Infrastructure Victoria report.
Geelong Chamber of Commerce welcomed the authority’s endorsement for Bay West.
Chamber chief executive officer Bernadette Uzelac said Bay West would generate significant investment and “hundreds – potentially thousands – of jobs” in the Geelong region.
But the State Government declined to commit to either option and would respond in its Freight Strategy later this year, Transport Minister Luke Donnellan said.
“We’re planning for the future growth to service Victoria’s growing container trade once the capacity of the Port of Melbourne has been reached.”
The Indy reported plans to build a second port near Geelong in 2010 after the Brumby Labor government had previously ruled it out.
In 2011, then Minister for Ports Dennis Napthine floated the idea of a port at Point Wilson, east of Avalon Airport, as an “option”.
But the Coalition government decided on Hastings as its preferred location despite a Western Transport Study identifying Bay West as the best option.
In 2012, then Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews announced his support for Bay West.
Labor promised to refer the question of location to Infrastructure Victoria during the 2014 election but talked up Bay West’s prospects.
Geelong lobby groups campaigned for the Bay West option, while local conservation groups and Federal Corangamite labelled it environmentally disastrous.
The Indy contacted Shadow Minister for Ports David Hodgett for comment.
