Can read you like a book MT
Yeah, that's why in your obsession you keep making wrong assumptions about me including my sex and which type of school I went to
. You are so predictable. Don't say boo about LNP stuff ups but run on here frothing from the mouth as soon as it's a Labor stuff up. If hundreds of people were driven to suicide and allegedly up to 2000 died as a result of a Labor government policy illegally and corruptly attacking the most vulnerable in our society, you'd be posting every two mins about it. Yet, we didn't hear boo about the robodebt royal commission findings from you.
https://www.afr.com/companies/sport/not-a-difficult-decision-andrews-scraps-commonwealth-games-20230718-p5dp3f
Great read. The most important thing is how badly other projects were costed. Something the chear leaders haven't mentioned once.. If only 6 weeks ago it was a 2 billion dollar exercise that is now 6 plus I wonder how many other projects have been thrown into chaos . Even Jerome and our Peggy were on this grainy train of close to a mil you would think.
If those that want to go down the robodebt path (rightly so) why wont they also bring up the Victorians governments waste?
All projects around the world have been affected by the surge in inflation of the past 18 months. Victoria isn't alone. Having said here's my critique of each major project:
1. Comm Games - Embarrassing but right decision yesterday. The stupidity was agreeing to do it in the first place when no one else wanted it. Andrews has to wear this one. Ego got the better of him and he made someone else's problem his and the state's.
2. Westgate Tunnel - even without the massive PFAS delays, I don't support inner city tollroads as they don't solve congestion. Why I opposed the dud EWL. Rather had Metro 2 and improved PT to the western suburbs. Still got to appease the road lobby in this state sadly
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3. Metro Tunnel - at least a year ahead of schedule and possibly 18 months. Potentially completed by late next year if they keep going at this rate. Murdoch media reports are BS. The extra $3b costs reported were because additional and improved infrastructure was added to the original concept such as longer platforms along the metro lines for the longer MHCT high capacity trains (up to 9 cars long), high capacity signalling rather than the old block system so trains can automatically communicate their location inside the tunnel and run closer together (enables 2 min services), etc.
4. NE link - ring road is needed but hello costly retro-fitting in Melbourne! No forward planning from government nor corridors reserved for either rail or road over the previous 50-60 years = $19b fmd! All sides deserve blame given the multi-decade timeframe but it starts with Bolte.
5. Airport link - the problem has always been the government doesn't own/control the airport land and the road lobby (especially taxis) don't want the competition. The original design of the airport had set aside space for a future train station in the centre of the "square-ish bit" between Airport, Melbourne drives and Centre Road. That's why it's designed that way. Of course, the "car is god" mentality of the 70s saw that space taken up by a car park and now on top of that is a hotel. Now everything has to be retro-fitted and there's a barney between having an above ground (state/fed governments) and underground (Airport authority) station. My personal view is the airport should be part of a suburban line that continues on out north of Tullamarine so it has multiple usage but no one else is suggesting that. I think it's been put on the backburner for a year hoping by then this global inflation crisis is no more as correctly predicting and projecting costings for any project right now is futile. No guarantees with that given there's no end in sight in the conflict in Ukraine. 50 years and still waiting
. Again blame on all sides and again starts with Bolte.
6. Level Xing removal program - ahead of schedule. Promised 50 by the end of the second term and delivered 65. Up to 70 now with another 40 planned or already under construction to go. Godsend in my area.
7. SRL - Fast cross-city transport between major suburbia hubs is needed but hello the need to retro-fit again = going to cost A LOT albeit spread over a generation. Not the reported media figure though which is just again more lazy/agenda driven media BS. The "$200b" figure comes from the Libs sending in their version of the SRL to the PBO which added an imaginary extra 30 years onto the construction timeframe (until 2084 instead of 2053) and included operating costs (which for the eastern section would commence in 2035). The PBO rightly costed this version being an independent body, but it doesn't make it any less made-up (I'm not blaming the PBO for doing their job). 2084 is over 60 years from now. All existing transport infrastructure and operations will need to be replaced and modernised to late 21st century standards by then but we don't lob it all together into one single figure, throw our hands up and not do it (of course we'll be all pushing up daisies by 2084 anyway).
ps. For the record, I don't care which side builds needed transport infrastructure. For instance, the NSW Libs deserve praise for getting on and building the NW Metro a decade ago. Sydney's rail network wasn't neglected and left to rot for decades from the late 1950s like Melbourne's was until more recent times. The only thing Melbourne did better back then than Sydney was keep its tram network.