Thursday, 12 May 2022

Adjournment

Ms STITT (Western Metropolitan—Minister for Workplace Safety, Minister for Early Childhood) (18:07): I move:

That the house do now adjourn.

Shepparton bypass

Ms LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (18:07): (1912) My adjournment matter is directed to the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, and it concerns the funding commitment from the state government for stage 1 of the Shepparton bypass project. The action that I seek from the minister is that she immediately commits the state government’s funding contribution, being around 20 per cent of the cost, to complete stage 1 of the Shepparton bypass, to ensure work on this badly needed project can commence as soon as possible. Members will be aware of my continued advocacy for the Andrews Labor government to commit its share of the funding for stage 1 of the Shepparton bypass. I continue this advocacy because this is a vital project for the Greater Shepparton community, and it is the number one priority infrastructure project for Greater Shepparton City Council. I also continue to fight for this project in response to Labor’s continued ignorance of the Shepparton bypass and their steadfast refusal to support it with the appropriate funding investment.

Stage 1 of the project entails the construction of a 10-kilometre section of road from the Midland Highway in Mooroopna to Wanganui Road in North Shepparton. Stage 1 of the project will remove heavy vehicles, including B-doubles, from the Shepparton and Mooroopna CBDs; improve industry access to domestic and export markets; and provide a second river crossing between Shepparton and Mooroopna.

The only state funding for the project was $10.2 million, which was committed in the 2017–18 state budget to finalise planning for stage 1 of the bypass and upgrade the intersection of the Goulburn Valley Highway, Wanganui Road and Ford Road. More than five years and five state budgets have passed since that time, and not another cent has been committed, nor has any work on the intersection commenced. In fact all that has happened is that the estimated completion time has blown out by more than three years, from quarter 3, 2019–20, to quarter 4, 2022–23.

Considering a funding commitment of $208 million from the federal government was announced as part of the 2018–19 federal budget for the project, the lack of investment by the Andrews Labor government is inexcusable. The minister delayed the completion of the project’s business case by two years and then marked it ‘cabinet in confidence’ upon forwarding it to the federal government, meaning the exact cost of stage 1 is unknown at this time. The Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce, recently hinted in a local press interview that the cost of stage 1 could be in the vicinity of a billion dollars, yet the minister has continuously refused to comment on the cost of the project. Last week’s state budget was the Treasurer’s fifth opportunity to commit funding for stage 1 of the Shepparton bypass project, and still this vital project was ignored. The Greater Shepparton and Goulburn Valley communities deserve so much better. I call on the minister to support the bypass and commit 20 per cent of the funding needed to make it happen.