Future Victoria: Anthony Albanese announces $1.2bn for road works across Victoria

Crumbling suburban roads and a key part of Melbourne’s rail line to the airport will be the focus of a $1.2bn landmark partnership between the federal and state Labor governments.

Suburban roads in dire need of repair will be fixed under a new $1.2bn landmark partnership between the federal and state governments – with Anthony Albanese also set to commit more funding for a key part of Melbourne’s rail line to the airport.

The Prime Minister will unveil the cash splash in a keynote speech at the Herald Sun’s Future Victoria event, in partnership with the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on Wednesday.

Mr Albanese is also expected to make an announcement ­related to works at Sunshine Station.

Trains will run from Melbourne Airport through to Sunshine Station, then into the Metro Tunnel and the heart of the CBD, before continuing on to the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan. Picture: David Geraghty

The station is set to be made a designated Suburban Rail Loop precinct which will enable high-density housing in the area, with the state government expected to match an almost $2bn pledge.

The move aimed at wooing voters in Melbourne’s western suburbs comes after the state Labor government suffered a 10 per cent swing against it at the Werribee by-election.

The first phase of the Allan government’s SRL plan connects Cheltenham to Box Hill via a 26km tunnel, at a cost of $34.5bn, while Melbourne’s western suburbs have long been ignored.

In relation to the road blitz the Prime Minister will say:

“This money is ready, right now, to fix roads in need of repair.

“To seal and upgrade roads that are slowing communities down – and to tackle dangerous intersections. Because smaller projects can deliver big productivity gains and make a big difference to communities.”

The announcement on the eve of the federal election is set to appease federal Labor MPs in Victoria’s outer suburban electorates, who have been pushing for greater funding for road projects to win over voters frustrated with the Allan government and an under-investment in vital infrastructure.

The sealing and upgrading of Old Sydney Rd, where it connects with Cameron’s Lane, in the seat of McEwen in Melbourne’s north will be among the first three priority projects undertaken.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan visit the North East Link construction site at Watsonia. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Labor MP Rob Mitchell and the Mitchell Shire Council have been lobbying the federal government for at least $30m in funding for the works, which will provide greater access for one of Victoria’s fastest ­growing communities, as new jobs are also created by work on the Beveridge Intermodal Terminal.

Improvements will also be made to Evans Rd between Duff St and Central Parkway in Cranbourne West, which is in the Labor-held electorate of Holt. Elsewhere, the intersection of McLeod Rd and Station St at Carrum, which is now in the Labor-held seat of Dunkley following a redrawing of electoral boundaries, will also be ­upgraded.

The Coalition is eyeing off all three electorates, which have been hit hard by the cost-of-living crisis.

“These are three important projects – but they are only the first three,” Mr Albanese will say in Wednesday’s keynote speech. “There will be more to come, in suburbs and regions that need this investment the most. My government is focused on building Australia’s future – and Victoria is central to this in every way.”

Mr Albanese, a self-described “infrastructure nerd”, will also spruik his government’s investment in “big nation-building, state-shaping projects”.

Victorian motorists are frustrated with the state of the roads. Picture: Alan Barber

Earlier this month, the government released the $2.2bn it committed to the Allan government’s signature Suburban Rail Loop project at the 2022 election. The money, which will not begin flowing until next financial year, is due to be spent on land acquisitions and early works.

But the multibillion-dollar project was ranked last by Victorian voters in a new poll of the state’s most urgent projects, revealed by the Herald Sun, with the majority of respondents saying Melbourne Airport Rail should be a priority.

Mr Albanese, who will acknowledge that the state is facing challenges, is expected to reiterate his motto that when you’re “navigating rough seas, you’ve got to have your eyes on the horizon”.

On Wednesday afternoon, he will launch the government’s road map for economic engagement with India, which will become the third largest economy in the world before the end of the decade.

Mr Albanese said Victoria would be “front and centre” in seizing the new opportunities, with the plan aiming to deepen and diversify Australia’s two-way trade and investment.