DUDDED: Victoria is being short changed on transport projects

Victoria has received far less transport funding than NSW and Queensland, a new analysis of projects promised during the past six electoral campaigns has revealed.

Marion Terrill, transport expert from the Grattan Institute, says the realities of the electoral map explain the disparity.

“What we found is a consistent pattern that NSW and Queensland get more, and Queensland gets more actually in absolute terms even though it’s smaller on population,” she told Ross and Russel.

“That could perhaps be explained by the fact that NSW and Queensland are were federal elections tend to be won and lost.”

Ms Terrill says there’s also been a drastic shift in what’s promised during election campaigns, which is leading to poorer government spending.

“In 2016, both parties promised approximately a year’s worth of spending and by 2019 they were promising six or seven year’s worth,” she said.

“A lot more of what they actually spend during the course of the term of government is promised in the heat of the election campaign and is particularly poorly thought through.”

Only one of the 71 coalition major projects worth more than $100 million which were promised at the last federal election had a business case approved by Infrastructure Australia. For Labor promised projects, two out of 61 had business cases approved.

“There projects are promised before the due diligence is done,” Ms Terrill said.

“I don’t think it’s a good way to spend public money.”

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