Labor in Victoria named a German company to supply machines to dig tunnels for its $100 billion Suburban Rail Loop despite a funding dispute with the federal government, and sought to rebrand the project as housing rather than infrastructure in what experts said was a political ploy.

A poll of 1500 Victorians by Redbridge last week found nearly 70 per cent believed the debt-laden Allan government was not doing enough to make housing more affordable and 55 per cent thought the SRL was making it harder to address the housing crisis.