Rare meeting shows state and federal governments broken infrastructure relationship

Victorian Transport Minister Jacinta Allan and Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce’s frosty relationship was on full display at a heated press conference.

Victorian Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan. Picture: David Crosling

A press conference turned into a political pit fight on the New South Wales and Victorian border on Monday as state and federal transport ministers accused each other of dudding the regions.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce faced off against his Victorian counterpart Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan at the opening of the Echuca-Moama Bridge.

It came after the Herald Sun revealed the bridge unveiling was the first time the pair had met since Mr Joyce returned to the transport portfolio in June, amid a rift between both levels of government on funding for major projects.

Speaking to the media alongside Ms Allan, Mr Joyce faced questions about the rift and said “phones worked in both directions last time I checked”.

“If you want to call me, I’m there. If people need money off the Commonwealth we’re there,” he said.

“Canberra is just up the road there and it’s not too hard to get two flights per day.

“I am only too happy to meet all my ministers and there’s no parochialism.”

VictorianTransport Infrastructure minister, Jacinta Allan traded barbs with the deputy PM. Picture: David Crosling

But Ms Allan returned to the microphone to lash the federal government over the state’s GST carve up, health funding, new money for projects and regional support.

She said the state had been forced to go-it-alone on projects such as the West Gate Tunnel which she claimed would receive 50 per cent federal funding if they were in NSW.

“I simply remind the deputy prime minister that Victorians are Australian taxpayers as well,” Ms Allan said.

“We’re not getting our fair share here in Victoria.”

The situation devolved into further arguing after outgoing Nicholls MP Damian Drum, a member of the Nationals and former state MP, said Labor had left out the regions in state budgets.

Mr Drum and Mr Joyce attacked Labor’s record for the regions while Ms Allan took a final whack at the Nationals and Liberals for both fielding Nicholls candidates in the upcoming election, despite being coalition partners.

“You’re meant to be on the same team,” she said.

Barnaby Joyce will meet Jacinta Allan to open the Echuca-Moama Bridge. Picture: Supplied

The Herald Sun earlier revealed Ms Allan has barely spoken to the Deputy Prime Minister in almost 10 months.

She has instead attacked the Coalition for dudding Victoria on road and rail funding, including in last month’s budget which reheated a $2bn commitment to a new freight terminal and rejected her pleas for a massive injection in the $34.5bn first stage of the Suburban Rail Loop.

The pair will finally meet on Monday to open the $323m Echuca-Moama Bridge.

Mr Joyce declined to say why he had not met with Ms Allan, and instead referred questions from the Herald Sun about her criticisms to Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher

He said the commonwealth ensured every state received its “fair share of funding over a ten-year period” — although it was “inherently lumpy” on a year-to-year basis — with $35.5bn committed to Victoria since 2013.

But Ms Allan said: “The only headline from the federal budget is Victoria being dudded again.”

The Herald Sun understands some states have grown frustrated with Mr Joyce’s approach to the portfolio.

A meeting of the nation’s infrastructure ministers that was due to be held in December was delayed twice and switched from an in-person gathering to online talks, before the agenda was pared back.

In last month’s budget, the Coalition promised $3.3bn for Victorian infrastructure projects.

Of that, $3.1bn was for two freight terminals in Melbourne’s north and west, although $2bn had already been committed to the initiative in last year’s budget.

Ms Allan said: “Industry has been clear that they won’t use the Beveridge terminal, and we need to see the western terminal delivered first.”

But Mr Fletcher said both facilities were necessary “so that Victoria maintains its status as the freight and logistics capital of Australia”.

On Victoria’s bid for cash for the Suburban Rail Loop, he said there was “not currently enough evidence demonstrating its merits relative to the projected cost”.

The only other project for which Victoria sought federal support was the upgrade of Mickleham Road, which was funded in the budget.