While Victoria’s relative economic success is something to be celebrated, it is putting new and unexpected pressures on our infrastructure base, says VECCI.
A number of indicators bear this out:
- Melbourne’s population growth has begun to outpace that of other State capitals, and Melbourne may become the nation's biggest city in 2028 if the trend continues.
- Congestion on public transport has worsened and this is impacting on workplace productivity – train passenger trips have jumped 47 percent since 1999.
- In October, Melbourne became the first Australian container Port to move 200,000 containers in one month.
- An alarming 45 per cent of ships were potentially affected by Port Phillip Bay’s draught limitations in the June quarter of this year, up from 26.7 percent in 2005/06.
“While the Government is progressing a range of current infrastructure initiatives such as the channel deepening project, the new Convention Centre, the desalination plant and public transport improvements, it is clear that, as a State, we should `move up a gear’ in terms of the scope and size of our infrastructure commitments, and that some of this will need to be underpinned by Government capital expenditure”, says VECCI CEO Wayne Kayler-Thomson.
This is a key theme of VECCI’s Pre Budget submission, which was handed to Treasurer John Lenders prior to Christmas. Some key projects that will need support in the forthcoming State Budget include:
- Measures to reduce traffic congestion, including public transport improvements and initial support for the proposed East-West link.
- Measures to encourage urgently required new baseload power, as well as cleaner coal.
- Measures to better resource our natural asset base to counter the effects of bushfires, drought and floods.
- Major investment in water infrastructure across the State to cut wastage through seepage and evaporation, as well as increased delivery of recycled water to business.
- The Port Phillip Bay Channel Deepening Project, a nationally significant project that requires a significant Victorian Government investment of at least $200 million, because of the wider economic benefits it delivers, the environmental costs being incurred to bring the project up to community standards, the safety benefits of deeper channels and the fact that local and overseas projects are also significantly publicly-funded.
“We also hope that Federal, State and Territory Governments can build on the good start made at the COAG meeting held in Melbourne just prior to Christmas, and work together rather than against each other in terms of delivering the infrastructure businesses need to operate effectively”, says Mr Kayler-Thomson. |
