Voters in Suburban Rail Loop path turn on project

Exclusive polling data has revealed voters who are set to benefit most from the project say they don’t believe it’s worth the $125bn cash splash.

The Suburban Rail Loop is expected to cost about $125bn. Picture: Supplied

Eighty per cent of voters in the region set to benefit most from Daniel Andrews’ Suburban Rail Loop say they are either unsure, or don’t believe, it is worth the reported $125bn for the first two stages.

Polling commissioned by the Herald Sun reveals that only 20 per cent of people located in the southeastern metro region of the state – where the first section will be built from Cheltenham to Box Hill – think that price tag is worth it.

Instead 46 per cent said no, while another 34 per cent said they were unsure.

It comes as the federal Parliamentary Budget Office will now examine how much the project could cost taxpayers after Mr Andrews was this week forced to admit he didn’t know the amount.

Deakin MP Michael Sukkar and opposition infrastructure spokeswoman Bridget McKenzie have requested the federal costing, in light of Anthony Albanese promising $2.2bn of federal funding despite it not being assessed by national advisory body Infrastructure Australia.

The Herald Sun revealed earlier this year that the Victorian PBO estimated the first two stages would balloon out to $125bn.

Mr Andrews has questioned the accuracy of that figure but refused to give an updated costing to the $50bn price tag the state government attached to the project in 2018.

“I don’t take my instructions from Infrastructure Australia, a national body,” Mr Andrews said yesterday.

“I take them from the Victorian community.”

Only 19 per cent of people living in the southeastern metro region think the $125bn price tag is worth it.

Senator McKenzie said: “My concern now is the risk Labor has signed itself and future federal governments up to.”

Polling from independent firm RedBridge found just 14 per cent of voters ranked the Suburban Rail Loop the state’s highest infrastructure priority.

One third chose Melbourne Airport as the most important.

The poll found voters across all regions of the state were virtually split on anticipated $125bn cost, with 38.4 per cent saying the project wasn’t worth that much.

A further 35.1 per cent backed the project at that cost estimate.

RedBridge senior consultant Tony Barry said voters had given the Airport Rail a big tick but were lukewarm on the Suburban Rail Loop.

“At a cost of $125bn for the first two stages they mostly see it as dud value,” he said.

“Of political concern for Labor is that in the southeastern suburbs, twice as many people think it’s bad value as those who think it’s good value.

“Compounding this is that the poll also shows a clear majority of voters want to delay the project and redirect the balance into health.

“At its core, politics is about choices and Labor has got the politics wrong on this one.”

Opposition leader Matthew Guy has pledged to shelve the project if elected and divert all available state funds into the health system.

It is estimated the move could see up to $9bn injected into the health system.

Transport and cities program director at the Grattan Institute Marion Terrill said: “The SRL was popular when it was announced four years ago but its less clear now because the state has $100bn of debt and rising to $165bn.”

“There’s been so much construction and we know there’s capacity constraints, it’s become very expensive to build.”

Ms Terrill said NSW had mothballed three mega projects in the last six months because the market was so overheated.

“That’s been a very interesting and a very mature response,” she said.

“It’s just not a great time to press ahead as industry prefers more of a steady pipeline

Ms Terrill said the main reason for new infrastructure was to keep up with population growth.

But she said there were a lot of things governments could do to get more out of what had already been built.

“There is a big maintenance backlog, you would be better off spending more on that.”

Originally published as Voters in Suburban Rail Loop path turn on project