$4bn bid to unlock road link ‘box’

The centrepiece of Scott Morrison’s Melbourne campaign launch was the pledge of $4bn for the East West Link.

Daniel Andrews, right, with Labor leader Bill Shorten. Picture: AAP

The local centrepiece of Scott ­Morrison’s Melbourne campaign launch yesterday was the ­announcement of $4 billion for the East West Link road project — re­igniting the Coalition’s long-­running dispute with the Andrews Labor government over cancelled contracts and “locked box” ­funding.

The tunnel linking Melbourne’s eastern suburbs to the city, airport and West Gate Bridge via the CityLink toll road was first promised by the Victorian ­Coalition government before the 2014 state election.

Labor’s Daniel Andrews won that election and spent $1.3bn of taxpayers’ money to cancel the East West Link contract that the Napthine government had signed.

The Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison governments have since pledged $3bn for the East West Link but no other Victorian infrastructure project, prompting the state government to say the funding was in a “locked box”.

Mr Morrison yesterday framed the $4bn pledge as a ­renewal and upgrade of the ­Coalition’s East West Link commitment. “We’re not going to ignore the residents of eastern Melbourne, struggling with road congestion. We are going to stand by them,” he said.

The PM noted backbencher Michael Sukkar, Urban Infrastructure Minister Alan Tudge and Speaker Tony Smith as MPs whose eastern Melbourne electorates would benefit from the work.

He said the $1bn ­increase in the government’s overall pledge for the $7.6bn project would enable it to proceed without state government funding.

In an earlier Sky News interview, Josh Frydenberg said the extra $3.6bn would be funded with tolls, and conceded that the project was “contingent upon Daniel ­Andrews giving the approval for the project to go ahead”.

Across town as he accompanied federal Labor infrastructure spokesman Anthony Albanese to announce $10bn in federal funding for his government’s suburban rail loop, Mr Andrews dismissed the Coalition’s announcement, indicating he was unlikely to ­approve the project.

“Does anybody seriously believe that Scott Morrison will ever build anything in our state?” the Premier said. “This is the most ­desperate, last-minute con I think I’ve ever seen.’’

Mr Andrews said he had a track record of delivering projects Victorians elected him to deliver: