Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the following matters be referred to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee for inquiry and report by 13 June 2014:

(a) the decision of the Australian Government to fund the East West Link in Melbourne in the absence of:

(i) any full business case, and

(ii) any recommendation to that effect from Infrastructure Australia;

(b) the economic, social and environmental justifications for the proposed East West Link;

(c) whether alternative projects, including public transport projects, would be more appropriate;

(d) the impacts of the proposed East West Link on:

(i) residents of Melbourne,

(ii) traffic congestion, including in areas adjacent to the link,

(iii) public transport,

(iv) open spaces and parkland,

(v) the environment,

(vi) climate change and Australia's greenhouse gas pollution, and

(vii) any social and cultural features of Melbourne; and

(e) any other related matter.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The opposition is proposing a wider reference to this same committee. That reference will look at the government's failure to fund public transport projects in favour of a focus on roads. It will look at the productivity benefits of an integrated approach across rail and road projects. It will also look at issues such as the impact on user charges for public transport arising from a refusal by the federal government to provide funding for public transport. The expanded inquiry will allow a focus on the East West project in Melbourne and the failure of the federal government to fund the Melbourne Metro Rail project, but it will go much further and take a national focus. On that basis we are opposing this proposition.

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion moved by Senator Di Natale be agreed to.