Labor’s failed former finance minister Scott Bacon has again demonstrated how inexperienced Labor is when it comes to the budget and future infrastructure projects.
The 2017/18 budget contains unallocated capital that can be allocated to the bridge once the final costings and design work is completed.
The full business case is currently being progressed with an aim for lodgement later in 2017, with geotechnical findings required before project costings can be confirmed.
As we have consistently said, we are confident the Australian Government will support this project in its next five-year Infrastructure Investment Program beginning in 2019-20.
Meanwhile, there was nothing in Labor’s economic directions statement for the bridge at all- most likely because it would add to their black hole of uncosted, unfunded promises.
The question now for Labor is, do they support the bridge, and if so, how would they pay for it?