SENATOR THE HON MICHAELIA CASH
SHADOW MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS
DEPUTY LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN THE SENATE
SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA
MEDIA RELEASE
16 October 2022
ALBANESE RIPS $1.2 BILLION FUNDING FROM WESTERN AUSTRALIA
The Albanese Government has ripped $1.2 billion away from Western Australia by dropping the Perth Freight Link funding from the Federal Budget, leaving the State short-changed in comparison with other States and Territories.
Despite all the promises about looking after Western Australia it is clear we are being treated poorly by the Albanese Government when it comes to infrastructure funding in the Budget.
“We are getting less funding than Tasmania, only slightly more than South Australia and much less than all the other States and the Northern Territory,’’ Senator Cash said.
“Mr Albanese talked a big game about looking after WA, the engine room of the nation’s economy, but he is letting the State down again,’’ she said.
The former Coalition Government had $1.2 billion ready to go to Western Australia for any future State Government willing to build the Freight Link.
“That $1.2 billion which was allocated to Western Australia is now gone,’’ Senator Cash said.
“The Albanese Government is committing half a billion dollars less than that to Western Australia,’’ she said.
“The former Coalition Government maintained our commitment to that $1.2 billion while funding billions of dollars of other vital infrastructure projects in WA,’’ Senator Cash said.
Senator Cash said the Albanese Government and the State Government also needed to set out how they would get more trucks off suburban Perth roads.
“This is not just an economic argument, although the economics of efficient fright transport are very important, it is also a safety issue,’’ she said.
“The Freight Link would have taken 7000 trucks a day off local roads in Perth making those roads much safer and less congested,’’ she said.
“The Coalition committed more than $20.3 billion when in Government to support transport infrastructure projects in Western Australia, including more than $10 billion committed to projects over the next decade,’’ Senator Cash said.
“That included an additional $2.3 billion towards WA infrastructure projects in the April Budget,’’ she said.
“We had a strong record of backing WA when in Government. It looks like the Albanese Government will continually short-change Western Australia,’’ she said.
ENDS
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