Pain-plagued projects stall as Coalition pledges to spend big

At least $13bn of road and rail projects pledged by the federal Coalition in Victoria are in limbo amid rows over planning and budget blowouts ahead of the 2022 election.

At least $13bn of Victorian road and rail projects promised by the federal Coalition have stalled due to feuds over funding, incomplete planning and cost blowouts.

In a major cash splash before the last election, the government committed $5.6bn to getting started on the projects.

But with the 2022 election due in May, there are still no construction schedules for them and billions of dollars more is needed to start works.

A federal-state fight over East West Link has scuppered action on the cross-city motorway – which the Coalition had committed $4bn to and is now worth more than $9bn.

Other projects stuck in the slow lane include the Shepparton bypass, rail links to Baxter and Monash and road projects in Melbourne’s eastern and southeastern suburbs, where the Coalition believed it was politically vulnerable before the 2019 election.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison faced heavy criticism for a $660m commuter car park fund unveiled in 2019 which Liberal insiders admitted was designed to sandbag government-held seats.

Other projects stuck in the slow lane include the new rail links to Baxter and Monash. Picture: Wayne Taylor

The Auditor-General found the government promised the cash, mostly in Victoria, without knowing if the car parks could be built or what they would cost.

Several railway station car parks were dumped this year, along with the $70m extension of Thompsons Rd in Officer South.

That money was diverted to other projects, and questions are being asked whether more federal money should be spent on projects that already have the go-ahead.

The Herald Sun can also reveal federal Labor will only decide whether to take on the government’s problem projects if it wins the next election, and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese is instead focusing on infrastructure works in partnership with state and local governments.

In last year’s federal budget, the government promised another $3bn for Victorian infrastructure projects, although only $397m of that is due to be spent by 2025.

For the Shepparton bypass and Baxter rail, business cases have found the government’s commitments of $208m and $225m are about six times short of what will be required.

At least $13bn of road and rail projects promised by the federal Coalition in Victoria have stalled due to feuds over funding, incomplete planning and cost blowouts

An extra $150m will be needed to overhaul a Kooyong level crossing that ­Treasurer Josh Frydenberg had promised to remove.

And the East West Link – to which the Liberals promised $4bn, with the remainder to come from the private sector – is now costed at $9.1-13bn by Infrastructure Victoria.

Federal opposition infrastructure spokeswoman Catherine King accused the government of making promises they had “no intention of ever delivering” and called on them to stop “picking fights over the East West Link”.

“Because Scott Morrison and his colleagues in Victoria didn’t do the hard work of identifying what projects were needed or how they will be built, some of their promises are simply impossible to keep,” she said. “These broken promises mean we spend more time waiting in traffic or searching for parking.”

Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher did not answer questions about the expected costs and schedules of the 12 stalled projects identified by the Herald Sun.

“The Morrison government has committed billions of dollars for city-shaping infrastructure across Melbourne, and continues to work closely with the Victorian government to deliver these important projects,” he said.