Voters back Suburban Rail Loop despite concerns about state debt

Almost eight-in-10 voters worry about Victoria’s projected $194bn debt, but they’ve backed Jacinta Allan’s unfunded mega-rail link.

Premier Jacinta Allan announces a contract to supply concrete for the Suburban Rail Loop on Friday. Picture: Abby Walter

You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback.

You can now listen to The Australian's articles.

An overwhelming number of voters are worried about Victoria’s state debt but the majority of them give Labor’s signature Suburban Rail Loop the thumbs up.

An exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australian has exposed extraordinarily high levels of concern about state debt which is forecast to reach $194bn by 2028-29, leaving taxpayers facing an annual interest bill of $10.5bn.

The Newspoll has also detected soaring levels of concern among voters over law and order, hospitals and housing.

Asked how they felt about state debt, 78 per cent said they were either fairly worried or very worried about the red ink.

The poll also indicates concern about the spiralling debt cuts across party lines, with 67 per cent of Labor voters reporting they were worried. A massive 92 per cent of Liberal supporters reported being worried about it.

Women also reported being more concerned than men about the debt – expected to crash through $200bn within five years – with 80 per cent of females voicing worries compared with 75 per cent of males.

The Newspoll survey, conducted from June 23 to 30, has offered a ray of political hope about Labor’s controversial and unfunded SRL, which is expected to cost $34.5bn for the first stage linking Cheltenham to Box Hill.

A strong 59 per cent of those surveyed said they either strongly supported or somewhat supported the project, which is in the middle of a political storm over whether the state can afford to build it.

The Allan government has failed to release details on how it will be funded and what the updated costings for the project are.

The Albanese government has only committed about $2bn to the project despite Premier Jacinta Allan pushing for federal funding to cover a third of the construction bill. The Victorian government would pay another third and Labor has claimed the final third will come from so-called value-capture revenue generated by the project.

Australia’s independent infrastructure watchdog has flagged concerns about the SRL, which is tipped to cost at least $125bn overall, warning it has “low confidence” that the first stage can be delivered within its $34.5bn budget.

Infrastructure Australia’s report on the rail project also called for Labor to start planning an “exit” strategy in case the project is axed.

The Newspoll goes some way to explaining why Ms Allan has dug in behind the project despite the increasing storm over its funding. She regularly dons a hard hat and hi-vis vest to announce developments around the project.

The high levels of concern about basic services detected follows The Australian revealing the results of a Newspoll showing that while Labor is on track to win a fourth term at next year’s state election – leading the opposition 53-47 per cent on a two-party-preferred basis – 59 per cent of voters don’t believe it deserves to be re-elected.

The Newspoll also showed that 61 per cent of voters were unhappy with Ms Allan’s leadership and Opposition Leader Brad Battin held a 41-36 per cent lead in the better premier stakes.

Of key concern for the Liberal Party will be its primary vote, which is sitting at 35 per cent.

But Newspoll also suggests that Liberal infighting and dysfunction is costing the party dearly with 60 per cent of voters saying the party is not ready to govern.

Ms Allan on Monday refused to be drawn on the results of the polling and said she was instead focused on “what matters to Victorians”.

“Right now, what matters to Victorians is real help, real help right now, cost of living help, free public transport for kids, getting more young Victorians into a home, supporting jobs and supporting workers with a pipeline of work,” she said.

Victorian Opposition Leader Brad Battin. Picture: Nadir Kinani/NewsWire

Mr Battin sought to downplay concerns about Labor’s election winning lead. “Polls come and go,” he said.

Mr Battin said he was “not concerned at all” about the poll’s finding that 60 per cent of voters were not confident the Liberal Party was ready to govern.

“We’ve already got a lot of good policies out there, we’ve got a lot more to go between now and the next election,” he said.

Of serious concern for Ms Allan and Labor strategists will be that the government’s urgent crackdown on youth bail laws and bans on machetes appear to have failed to quell community angst about law and order.

Newspoll found a whopping 76 per cent of voters were fairly worried or very worried about the current state of law and order, including 65 per cent of Labor voters. Again more women were worried than men, with 79 per cent of females expressing concerns compared with 72 per cent of men.

Equally concerning for the Allan government will be Newspoll suggestions about ongoing concerns about health services, with 71 per cent reported being worried about the current state of hospitals.

Again, women were more concerned than men, with 78 per cent reporting concerns, much higher than the 63 per cent of men who said they were worried.

A significant 78 per cent of Victorians also reported being worried about housing in Victoria, with a substantial 82 per cent of women saying they were worried, slightly above male concerns over housing which came in at 74 per cent.