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“There is little disagreement over the significant role economic infrastructure has to play in supporting economic activity, increasing capital and labour productivity, facilitating export growth and raising competitiveness, incomes and living standards”, says Mr Coulson.
“What has been missing, however, is broad agreement on what should be the priorities for new infrastructure work over coming years.
“VECCI’s six key infrastructure priorities for the medium term include:
· Channel Deepening in the Port of Melbourne – Victoria’s dominance as Australia’s manufacturing and export hub depends on the adequacy of the Port, with over 82 percent of Victoria’s exports current leaving via the Port of Melbourne.
· The Dynon-Rail Hub – the Port of Melbourne needs to shift from dependence on road access to a greater reliance on rail to eliminate the cost of double-handling containers and reduce traffic congestion and pollution in and around Footscray Road.
· Triplication of the Dandenong Rail Line – adding a third track between Dandenong and Caulfield stations to provide more attractive and efficient public transport to a corridor which will add an extra 80,000 dwellings by 2030.
· The Eastern Recycled Water Project – building a 135 kilometre pipeline to transfer recycled water from the Eastern Treatment Plant at Carrum Downs to the Latrobe Valley, supplying the region’s power and paper plants with recycled water that would otherwise be discharged into our marine environment and, at the same time, reducing the call on fresh water for industrial uses and freeing it up for agriculture and environmental regeneration.
· New Baseload Electricity Generation Capacity – to underpin Victoria’s growth at a time when Victorian energy use is forecast to increase by 20 percent over the next decade.
· Integration of our Eastern and Western Growth Corridors – an underground road, passenger and freight rail link across the inner northern suburbs, linking the Eastern and Western Freeways, reducing inner city traffic congestion and taking the pressure of the Westgate and Monash Freeways.
Other key recommendations of VECCI’s Infrastructure TaskForce include:
· Bringing forward completion dates for important infrastructure projects that have already been committed or are currently underway, such as Plenary Hall and a range of freeway projects, e.g. Geelong and Deer Park Bypasses, the Tullamarine-Calder Freeway interchange, Craigieburn and Pakenham Bypasses and Hallam Road Duplication;
· Maintaining real levels of funding for the Regional Infrastructure Development Fund;
· Just as the State Government is reserving `green wedges’ for environmental protection, identifying and setting aside for future infrastructure use ‘Infrastructure-ready wedges’ (areas of land in growth areas throughout Victoria); and
· Setting out a range of measures that need to be introduced to improve public transport and give priority to freight transport, including:
· Improved timetable co-ordination and facilities
· Traffic management actions to increase tram speeds and tram and train frequency
· The elimination of major level crossing trouble spots
· Intelligent traffic co-ordination and activation for heavy vehicles.
“These recommendations have been carefully crafted to not only boost economic activity, but to provide `win-wins’ where social and environmental outcomes are also served – we hope that the Victorian Government will consider them favourably”, says Mr Coulson.
For all media enquiries, please contact:
VECCI Strategic Communications
Ph: (03) 8662 5226
email: media@vecci.org.au |
