Victoria's new Liberal opposition leader, Jess Wilson, made the policy announcement yesterday as her first major position since taking on the role.
Jess Wilson has announced the Liberals would pause the Suburban Rail Loop if elected to government.
Victoria’s new Liberal opposition leader, who just became the first woman to hold the position in the Victorian branch’s history, made the policy announcement yesterday as her first major position since taking on the role. Wilson said the project would be paused, adding to a list of Liberal positions on the SRL over recent years that have included ‘scrapping, shelving, pausing and reviewing, reprioritising funding, and cancelling’.
Works on the Suburban Rail Loop are currently underway at all station sites, with tunnelling scheduled to begin next year. The project is being built through a partnership between the Victorian government and the Albanese Labor government.
Suburban Rail Loop
- Works underway at all station sites
- Tunnelling begins next year
- Built in partnership between Victorian government and federal government
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Wilson was elected liberal opposition party leader this week after a leadership spill saw Brad Battin ousted. It was during an address the following day that the new leader shared her position on the Suburban Rail Loop.
“We’ve said that we will pause and review the suburban rail loop,” she said.
“They are arrogantly signing contracts and signing Victorians up to a project that this state simply cannot afford.”
According to the Victorian government, pausing the project at this stage would effectively result in its cancellation. They say this would mean the loss of approximately 4000 jobs currently tied to the project and the removal of plans for 70,000 homes within walking distance of public transport, schools, healthcare and employment.
Wilson’s announcement comes as the Liberals have outlined $11.1 billion in proposed cuts across various state programs. For workers currently employed on the SRL and families looking to purchase homes near future stations, the policy would see a significant shift in the project’s trajectory.
The SRL has been a point of policy contention between the major parties, with the Liberals adjusting their position on the project multiple times in recent years. Wilson’s announcement clarifies the party’s current stance ahead of the next state election.
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