Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The member for Lalor has just said it is a dead horse, and that is an unbelievable statement from a member from the western suburbs of Melbourne. Stage 2 of the East West Link is a 12-kilometre section of road to which we have contributed $1.5 billion.

Ms Ryan interjecting—

And it is astonishing that the member for Lalor is continuing to interject on this project, which is so important for the people of Geelong, the people of western Melbourne and people even as far as Ballarat. Anyone who travels up the Princes Highway for work, for business or to see their family knows that the West Gate Bridge has reached choking point, and if the member for Lalor does not understand it she is simply not listening to her community. We now see the member for Lalor standing in stark contrast to the Leader of the Opposition and the former member for Lalor, former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who both were committed to an East West Link crossing. The Daniel Andrews option—a frankly pathetic option—of a West Gate Distributor which only deals with some 5,000 trucks a day is really a joke.

So it was with great pride that I joined Andrew Katos, the member for South Barwon, and also representatives from Wettenhalls Trucking Group and Riordan Grain, to call on the people of Geelong and the people of Corangamite to get behind our campaign to 'Just Build It!' I am asking the people of Corangamite and the people of Geelong to go to the website buildthelink.com and sign our petition.

For many months, I have been campaigning for stage 2 of the western section; I have been campaigning to fast-track this section. It is so important for jobs for our local economy and for our future. And, combined with the $1.5 billion that has been committed to stage 1 and the $1.5 billion to stage 2 of East West Link, this project will deliver almost 7,000 jobs. This project will deliver the jobs that we desperately need in our great city.

It is astonishing that members opposite oppose this, including the member for Lalor—and I know how many people will be disappointed to hear of the member for Lalor's inflammatory claims, and also her very stark opposition to this project, because the people of western Melbourne, the people of Geelong and the people even of cities like Ballarat know how important it is to unclog Melbourne, because what the western section will do is deliver a second alternative to the West Gate Bridge.

As I mentioned, federal Labor members of parliament—including Bill Shorten, the Leader of the Opposition, and including the member for Corio—must reverse their position and back this project. The Andrews government's threats to tear up the contract or pay around $1 billion compensation are economically reckless and will cause Victoria significant economic damage. If the state government—

Ms Ryan interjecting—

And I do ask if the member for Lalor, who is continually interjecting, could perhaps, as I did, show courtesy and allow me to speak in this grievance debate, because this is a grievance of monumental seriousness. The fact that federal Labor and state Labor are standing in the way of one of the biggest infrastructure projects for our state is an absolute disgrace. It means almost 7,000 jobs for the people of Geelong, for western Melbourne and for Ballarat; it will drive new investment into our region, and unclog the roadways for freight movers, for trucking companies and for new businesses. Congestion is continuing to build and, frankly, the Andrews government has no solution whatsoever. So I say to state and federal Labor: look what you have said before; just build it.

The western section of East West Link will save peak-hour commuters an estimated three hours a week in travel time. Some 14,000 people from Geelong travel to Melbourne each day to work and, as anyone who travels along the Princess Highway knows, it is nothing short of a car park once you get to within about 10 or 15 kilometres of West Gate Bridge. The West Gate Bridge is heavily congested—it is carrying 200,000 vehicles a day—and the western section will provide capacity for around 100,000 vehicles a day. The western section alone will create around 3,000 jobs during construction—jobs that are so important for our region.

Shane Blakeborough of Journey Management, a wonderful transport training and logistics company based in my electorate, estimates that it will cost $1 million more a year for his company alone if the East West Link is not built. It is cheaper for him to run trucks between Geelong and Albury than between Geelong and Dandenong because of the stop-start, and he could get two trips to Dandenong a day if the East West Link was built.

What is so astonishing about this situation is that just six years ago, as I alluded to, the Leader of the Opposition threw his support behind an East West Link for Melbourne, along with the former member for Lalor, former Prime Minister Gillard. They said that 'doing nothing is not an option'. We are seeing already the consequences of Daniel Andrews' reckless conduct. I refer to an article entitled 'Can Australia be taken at its word?' in Infrastructure Investor, published on 6 March 2015:

The Victoria government appears to be considering legislation to avoid paying a private consortium compensation if a project is shelved.

This is going to do enormous damage. Daniel Andrews must reverse his position.

When I announced our local campaign on Sunday, Whettenhalls director Peter Mills said that the chaos on the West Gate Bridge for his company, he has estimated, is costing some $3 million a year in additional costs. We must address the big questions. We must address the big infrastructure challenges, and this is why the East West Link is so important.

I do note that, on 11 March, the Prime Minister wrote to Daniel Andrews and spoke about the risks to the state if this project is aborted, if the contracts are ripped up and if this retrospective legislation is passed. I want to put this on the record. Daniel Andrews, in 2013, said, 'Sovereign risk is sovereign risk. A contract is a contract.' Well, Daniel Andrews went to the election saying this was not worth the paper it was written on. He was wrong. He was absolutely wrong. This is a binding contract. He has previously acknowledged the importance of not breaking a binding contract. Chris Bowen, the shadow Treasurer at the time, back in 2013, said:

… Bill Shorten and I are of one mind—Labor honours contracts entered into by previous governments, even if we don't like them. For issues of sovereign risk, Labor honours contracts when in office.

So why don't the Leader of the Opposition and other members opposite have the courage of their convictions to stand up and honour this contract; have the courage to say to Daniel Andrews, 'Your reckless conduct is causing our state enormous damage'?

The western section of East West Link to which we have committed a massive $1.5 billion is so important. Each and every day, I am fighting for jobs for Corangamite and for our great region, and I will continue to fight for this. So I say: build the link. Build the link that is so incredibly important for our region, for our future, for families, for new business investment. And I say to the Leader of the Opposition: go back and look at what you said six years ago. Go and look at the damage that Daniel Andrews is doing to our state. Reverse your position and build the link. Thank you very much.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 20:18 .

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