Sophie Mirabella (Indi, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about a major project in my electorate which has received passing mention in the budget papers, the Nagambie Bypass. In the recent election campaign, the coalition allocated $288 million to the construction of the Nagambie Bypass. The project was of the highest priority for the coalition and work was to begin as soon as possible. Unfortunately, federal Labor have committed only $5 million to ‘progress planning and reconstruction activities’ this financial year. That is a massive disappointment to the people of Nagambie, who have waited so patiently for this project to finally get underway. That $5 million is an absolute joke and only the most blatant Labor apologist could excuse it. The importance of this project should mean it is above party divides. The Labor Party at the last election took a ‘me too’ approach to this policy, and I only hope they will come to their senses and invest more seriously in this important infrastructure project for the benefit not just of local lives but of the local and broader economies.

The Nagambie Bypass will provide the Nagambie community with the opportunity to revitalise the town, remove very dangerous hazards to the current traffic flow and open the door to future economic development of the wider Nagambie, Goulburn Valley and north-central Victorian regions. The project is ready to proceed now and does not need to be delayed because of Labor’s inaction and inability to balance the budget and allocate the funds they promised to get the Nagambie Bypass going. The Victorian Minister for Planning has approved the preferred route to the east of Nagambie. This is the outermost alignment, which would start from the end of the existing dual carriageway at Mitchellstown Road, just south of Nagambie, and rejoin the highway at Kirwans Bridge, Longwood Road, just north of Nagambie. This alignment and the project generally have strong community support. The Nagambie Bypass project is 17.4 kilometres in length and 21 per cent of traffic on this section of the highway is very heavy vehicles.

The project is the missing link in the current 60-kilometre duplicated corridor between Seymour and Shepparton. The coalition has long been committed to substantial investment in the upgrade and duplication of the Goulburn Valley Highway, delivering the Arcadia Duplication and the Murchison East deviation. The Goulburn Valley Highway is a critical connection between Melbourne and the Goulburn Valley agricultural area, known as the food bowl of our nation. The project needs to get started sooner rather than later. When the coalition announced funding for this project, the money was on the table ready to be brought forward. The Labor Party need to stop playing political games and waiting to allocate infrastructure funding in an election year. They need to allocate funding now, as they promised they would. I will ensure that the needs of the Nagambie people are heard and I will continue to pressure the government to honour its promises. (Time expired)