Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has breathed life back into the proposed Shepparton Bypass, saying he would work with the new Federal Government to fund the road, and labelling the previous government “pretenders”.
Answering a question on roads from Member for Shepparton Suzanna Sheed in Victorian Parliament, Mr Andrews said the bypass was “a very important project”.
The Victorian and Federal governments agreed to a 80:20 funding split on the bypass in 2019, but the business case remained under wraps after it was handed from the state government to its federal counterpart.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce revealed the cost of the project had ballooned to $1.2 billion in 2021, but Mr Andrews said he would bring the case back before the Federal Government.
“I hope that [Ms Sheed] and I can advocate to the new Commonwealth Government, a Commonwealth Government that wants to get things done, for that project and maybe other projects,” Mr Andrews said.
"Every dollar that has been spent on that project has come from our government, not pretenders who just lost government in Canberra.
“Let us work with (the new government) to see if we can get things done.”
The commitment followed Ms Sheed using her parliamentary question to ask Mr Andrews if he would actively seek the commitment from the new Labor Federal Government to partner with the state to fund the project.
Ms Sheed said she was buoyed by the Premier’s support and looked forward to working with him and the Federal Government to push the bypass project ahead.
“This is a vital project that is well overdue and will be a benefit not only for our region but the whole of Victoria and indeed the entire eastern seaboard,” Ms Sheed said.
“The Shepparton Bypass is an essential safety and freight project for our region, allowing for a second river crossing of the Goulburn River north of Shepparton.”
She said it would create opportunities for the region and make the city’s roads safer.
“It will also remove heavy traffic from the central business districts of Shepparton and Mooroopna,” Ms Sheed said.
“Once this project begins, it will create job opportunities for our community over the next 10 years, so its implementation will have a twofold benefit.”