Opposition’s David Davis questions whether ratepayers will be hit with taxes for suburban rail loop

The Liberal Party fears families living near the Suburban Rail Loop could be “clobbered” with new taxes, but the government has denied the claim.

The state opposition has questioned whether ratepayers or small business owners could be slugged with taxes to help pay for the Suburban Rail Loop.

Speaking at Box Hill Hospital on Monday, Liberal MP David Davis questioned whether the government would introduce new taxes or levies on ratepayers to help pay for the project, which could cost about $125bn for the first two stages between Cheltenham and Melbourne Airport.

Mr Davis said state debt was going to be more than $167bn and questioned where Daniel Andrews would get the money to pay for the project.

“He has said he is going to impose new taxes, new levies – value uplift levies,” he said.

“He needs to come clean and explain what those are, how big they are and on whom they will be placed.”

Mr Davis said when the city loop was built, it was funded by a levy on rates.

“If you lived close to the loop you paid more, but from quite a big distance people paid a levy on their rates for decades and decades afterwards,” he said.

“Is Daniel Andrews proposing a levy on every ratepayer in the City of Whitehorse, every ratepayer in the City of Kingston and every ratepayer through this whole (rail) corridor?

“Will that levy clobber every day families? The cost of living is out of control now.”

He also questioned if Mr Andrews would impose a levy on small businesses.

Liberal candidate for Box Hill Nicole Ta-Ei Werner, and Liberal MPs Georgie Crozier and David Davis at Box Hill Hospital on Monday.

Mr Davis reiterated the Liberal Party’s pledge to shelve the Suburban Rail Loop and redirect money from the project to health projects if it wins November’s state election.

But a state government spokesperson said no levies had been proposed for individuals for the Suburban Rail Loop.

“The State’s contribution will be funded from a combination of existing revenue sources and new value capture measures outlined in the Business and Investment Case,” the spokesperson said.

“The Victorian Liberals have confirmed they will cut and cancel every single Big Build project – only Labor can deliver the transport upgrades Victoria needs.”

Speaking at a Business and Investment Case presentation last August, Transport Minister Jacinta Allan was asked if residents living in the areas along the rail alignment would face an increase in levies.

“I can absolutely rule out … that there will be no levy on residential homes, on residential homeowners,” she said.

The value capture mechanisms are targeted at large property developers who stand to make huge windfall profits from the project.

Suburban Rail Loop passengers will be required to pay for their trips like any other public transport user.

Ticket prices will be determined by a future government, closer to day one of operations in 2035.

It comes as Opposition leader Matthew Guy revealed on Sunday the Mickleham quarantine centre would be temporarily repurposed for hospital patients under a coalition government to help tackle the state’s health crisis.

A tent outside the Box Hill hospital for any patient overflow. Picture: David Crosling

Speaking at Box Hill Hospital on Monday, Deputy opposition leader Georgie Crozier said her party would work with the federal government to get the Australian Defence Force to assist in running the facility.

“They have medics and nursing staff and other support staff who could help with basics like catering, like cleaning and laundering that would be required in these facilities,” she said.

“It is a short term measure while we’ve got this acute (health care) crisis going on.”

When asked if the Liberals would make parking free for nurses at Box Hill Hospital, Ms Crozier referred to the party’s plan to make public transport free for all nurses and health care workers in the state.

She said the tent set up at Box Hill Hospital would go if the Liberals were elected.

“We would need to see that tent go and patients who need emergency care to be seen in an emergency department by emergency doctors and emergency personnel,” she said.

Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas says she believes patients at Box Hill Hospital received an “appropriate” level of care as they faced long waits and shelter in makeshift tents outside.

Ms Thomas on Sunday addressed the concerns over the health system in Melbourne’s east after tents were erected outside to host some patients.

Troubling reports emerged of a teenage cancer sleeping in a hallway because there were no beds while the family of a stroke patient expressed concerns about their mother being moved into one of the tents.

Ms Crozier called on Ms Thomas to apologise to both patients.