Shorten proves he can't be trusted on Perth infrastructure

Labor's so-called 'Metronet' funding commitment today is really an announcement that it will refuse to back the vitally needed Perth Freight Link project.  The Turnbull Government has already announced a plan to deliver $490 million to Forrestfield Airport Link – existing planned work Labor has simply rebranded as 'MetroNet'.

Today’s ‘announcement’ is little more than a thought bubble with no business case, no specific cost and no end date – a reckless and ill-considered addition to Bill Shorten’s ever-increasing spend-o-meter.

Worse, it is being announced at the expense of Perth Freight Link, a project rated as ‘high priority’ by Infrastructure Australia.

This is another alarming example of Labor walking away from vitally needed roads projects, highly recommended by independent infrastructure bodies such as Infrastructure Australia, because it is desperate to hold seats such as Fremantle in the face of pressure from the Greens.

Labor has alarming form in tearing up contracts on nationally significant infrastructure, wasting $1.1 billion of taxpayers’ money on cancelling the East West Link in Melbourne and reversing support for WestConnex in Sydney.  After today’s announcement, Labor has now abandoned two of Infrastructure Australia’s top four priority projects in one week (latest priority list here).

It is unclear how this is consistent with Anthony Albanese’s comments in October last year, when he said:

What we say is, get the process right, do the business case and then if it does stack up that’s where the investment should go.

(Albanese, Sky Viewpoint, 11 Oct 15)

The Turnbull Coalition will not determine infrastructure priorities on ideological grounds – both road and rail are required to address congestion and productivity in our cities.