Coker rolls out rail duplication argument again

CORANGAMITE Labor federal member Libby Coker has again called on the federal Coalition government to move faster on the Waurn Ponds-South Geelong rail duplication, but appears to be less forceful in asking the state Labor government to do the same thing.

Last week, Ms Coker launched a petition at Waurn Ponds railway station urging the federal Coalition to bring forward most of the Coalition’s $850 million commitment towards stage 2 of the overall Geelong to Waurn Ponds works ahead of the next federal election (scheduled for no later than 2022).

According to Ms Coker, less than $140 million will be spent towards duplicating about 13 kilometres of track between now and June 2022, with most of the money ($150 million, $250 million and $275 million, respectively) to be rolled out in the three years between 2024-2025 and 2027-2028.

“Clearly, the Commonwealth expects that the duplication will be built between mid-2025 and late 2028,” Ms Coker said.

“The community simply cannot wait that long. Sadly the Morrison Government doesn’t seem to be willing to budge.

“So now, with community support, I am petitioning (Prime Minister) Scott Morrison, calling on him to make good on the promise and deliver most of this election commitment before the next election.

“They should be negotiating with the Andrews Government to bring the funding and the project forward as far as possible.”

It is at least the third time since August the Labor MP has criticised the federal Coalition on this point.

State Labor has committed to its share of funding for Stage 2 but Infrastructure Australia has decided against including Stage 2 on its Infrastructure Priority List, saying the state government’s business case “shows that the costs of the project are likely to exceed the benefits” and would have a $212 million shortfall – an outcome hotly disputed by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews at the time.

When asked if it would be more useful for her to lobby state Labor to accelerate its share of the funding and/or reconsider the business case, Ms Coker said she had been speaking with the state government and it “needed the confidence of the federal government to work together on this project” and it was the Morrison Government that had committed to “deliver” the duplication of Stage 2 and 3.