Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten shower NSW in riches while snubbing Victoria

VICTORIAN taxpayers are set to pay hundreds of millions of dollars towards Sydney’s $5.4b second airport following Malcolm Turnbull’s pledge to build it. But the PM says don’t get angry at him.

Victorian taxpayers are set to pay hundreds of millions of dollars towards Sydney’s second airport.

VICTORIAN taxpayers are set to pay hundreds of millions of dollars towards Sydney’s second airport following Malcolm Turnbull’s pledge to build the $5.4 billion Badgerys Creek project.

The Prime Minister announced yesterday the rest of Australia would have to fund building the Western Sydney airport within hours of the private sector declaring it was not interested. The new airport plan, which will boost jobs in western Sydney and inject more than $1.9 billion into the economy during construction alone, was immediately endorsed by the federal Opposition.

It came only days after Opposition Leader Bill Shorten announced that, if elected, Labor will start building a western Sydney rail line connecting the new airport to the city’s rail network.

This morning Mr Turnbull said Victorians should direct any anger over funding towards Premier Daniel Andrews.

”The real problem in Victoria ... is the State Government. Remember they paid $1.2 billion not to build the East West Link. They tore up that contract and blasted away over a billion dollars in compensation and costs,” he told Sunrise this morning.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has announced that, if elected, Labor will start building a western Sydney rail line.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull the rest of Australia would have to fund building the Western Sydney airport. Picture: AAP/Joel Carrett

The new bipartisan bonanza for Sydney infrastructure came as state Treasurer Tim Pallas delivered his third State Budget and launched a fresh attack on Victoria “being abused in terms of the contribution that the Commonwealth is making to this state”.

As well as the new $5.4 billion airport, NSW is set to get $11.54 billion from the federal government for roads and rail between 2016 and 2020.

Victoria is set to receive $3.1 billion over the same period.

After handing down his Budget, Mr Pallas said the Commonwealth “has made a very clear decision not to invest in anything that this state government believes is a priority for the people of Victoria”.

Mr Pallas’s Budget included $1.9 billion to tackle family violence and $38 billion on infrastructure projects over four years.

————————————————————————————————————————

VICTORIAN STATE BUDGET 2017-18:

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

YOUR FIVE-MINUTE GUIDE

TERRY MCCRANN: SENSIBLE, SUSTAINABLE SPENDING JUST THE TICKET

MATTHEW JOHNSTON: PALLAS ADDS EXTRA STING IN CASH DISTRIBUTION ROW

————————————————————————————————————————

Treasurer Tim Pallas has delivered his third State Budget and launched a fresh attack on Victoria “being abused”. Picture: AAP Image/Julian Smith

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said, “It is a Budget of missed opportunity to make Victoria safer.”

Mr Guy said he supported the family violence initiatives but more money was needed to “protect everyone”.

Shadow Treasurer Michael O’Brien said Premier Dan Andrews had introduced 10 new taxes since he was elected in a big broken promise.

The new family violence package revealed by Mr Pallas includes 450 extra child protection workers, 17 new safety hubs for victims to access services, and a new TAC-style agency to change attitudes towards violence.

The government says the funding will help pay recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Family Violence.

A $1.35 billion cut to public service spending will help fund the plan, but this will be dwarfed by the overall increase to public sector wages set to hit $26 billion next year.

Other new Budget initiatives include:

AN EXTRA $350 million for the M80 Upgrade to be matched by federal funding;

CONSTRUCTION of nine new schools and dozens of upgrades worth $685 million;

A $163 MILLION boost to the Northern Hospital;

A $42.5 MILLION package for studies into onshore gas; and

PLANNING for North East Link worth $100 million.

A tax haul of $21.8 billion is forecast next year — about a third of total revenue — rising to $25.6 billion within four years. But payroll tax cuts will be brought forward by a year, and there will be a 25 per cent reduction to payroll tax rates for country businesses.

The government also said it would privatise the Land Titles office, and hundreds of public servants will be sent to Ballarat and the Latrobe Valley.

[e-mail]