Opposition members in Western Australia are calling for funds pledged towards a Perth Freight Link to be reallocated to the Metronet proposal following the unknown results of Saturday’s election.
State leader Mark McGowan was backed by federal member for Freemantle Josh Wilson, candidate for Bicton Lisa O’Malley and state member for Fremantle Simone McGurk in his calls for Malcolm Turnbull to scrap the funding for the controversial Freight Link project.
A $261 million commitment was made by Malcolm Turnbull to a tunnel under Fremantle Golf Course, estimated to cost $326 million as part of the $1.9 billion dollar Freight Link proposal.
Perth Freight Link is the largest road project to be undertaken in the state and will introduce the first toll in WA for trucks only.
It is estimated hundreds of trucks would be diverted from Leach Highway daily, and create a direct freight route from Fremantle to the northern region of Muchea.
“The Perth Freight Link is a bad plan. My view is that Malcolm Turnbull, the Federal Liberals need to listen to their community and reject this plan, start planning a new port in Kwinana, put the money towards Metronet and getting more cars off our roads and more people on rail,” McGowan said.
“I think the people, the people of Western Australia have said that they understand that there has been a significant swing towards Labor and it’s time for the Federal Government to reconsider a very bad plan.”
Labor’s preferred infrastructure investment is a multi-billion dollar rail project, which would see extensions to suburban lines, with Bill Shorten in April committing to an unspecified amount if a federal Labor government is formed.
