IT IS good to see that the new Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack, take swift and decisive action in signing a bilateral agreement with Victoria on Inland Rail.
The agreement means that money will start flowing to Victoria to allow the state to implement its $1.7 billion Regional Rail Revival program, meaning that every regional rail line in the state will benefit from an upgrade (see article page 26).
Victoria becomes the first state to sign an agreement with the Commonwealth covering the Inland Rail project, which is the major focus of the federal
government’s infrastructure program and one that has been heavily prom-
oted by Canberra in the face of some criticism that it could be a “white elephant”.
It seems that Mr McCormack may be heralding the start of a new relationship between Canberra and Melbourne after several years of squabbling over money for major infrastructure projects. Let us hope this is not a false dawn.
It is certainly time that such major and nation-building projects were taken out of the political arena and dealt with in a bipartisan manner.
– TONY DUBOUDIN
The agreement means that money will start flowing to Victoria to allow the state to implement its $1.7 billion Regional Rail Revival program, meaning that every regional rail line in the state will benefit from an upgrade (see article page 26).
Victoria becomes the first state to sign an agreement with the Commonwealth covering the Inland Rail project, which is the major focus of the federal
government’s infrastructure program and one that has been heavily prom-
oted by Canberra in the face of some criticism that it could be a “white elephant”.
It seems that Mr McCormack may be heralding the start of a new relationship between Canberra and Melbourne after several years of squabbling over money for major infrastructure projects. Let us hope this is not a false dawn.
It is certainly time that such major and nation-building projects were taken out of the political arena and dealt with in a bipartisan manner.
– TONY DUBOUDIN