Thursday, 20 March 2025

 David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (09:49): I think most in the community are now aware of the botched approach that the government has adopted to the West Gate Tunnel. It started as a $500 million slip-road, then there was a market-led proposal from Transurban and special help from then Tim Pallas’s office to help them shepherd that through – potentially corrupt input –

Members interjecting.

David DAVIS: He did. And then there was a proposal at around the $5 billion to $6 billion level, but now it has blown out well past $10 billion, and climbing. Who would have thought, for example, that in the western suburbs there could be old industrial soil that might add to the costs? That for some reason was not considered by this government when it signed the arrangements with Transurban – the special arrangements with Transurban. Now we see that the costs are blowing out even further. Of course, Victorians are paying now for the West Gate Tunnel. They are already paying in their tolls, and their tolls go up every six months to pay more, specially to fund the West Gate Tunnel. So those who drive on the Bolte Bridge and through the tunnels are paying now, and they are paying through the nose, adding to the cost-of-living pressures on every Victorian.