Shadow infrastructure minister Anthony Albanese has criticised what he says is a lack of spending on the proposed Inland Rail project between Melbourne and Brisbane, after a budgets meeting in Canberra showed less than $30 million was spent in the first half of the financial year.
A Senate Budget Estimates committee on Monday heard that despite having a budget of $100 million to spend on pre-construction work for Inland Rail in the 2015/16 financial year, just $29.1 million had been spent as of December.
The committee meeting also revealed $11 million of the funding has been carried over to the next financial year.
Albanese suggested the lack of major spending ran counter to Truss’ pre-election promise to ‘fast track’ the project.
“During the 2013 election campaign, Mr Truss vowed a Coalition Government would accelerate the development of the 1,730km line,” the Opposition minister said.
“However, since taking office Mr Truss has not provided a single dollar to the project beyond the $300 million allocated by the former Labor Government.
“Labor supports Inland Rail, which would benefit agricultural producers along its proposed path and drive productivity gains that would benefit the entire Australian economy.”
Truss in September released the Government’s 10 year plan to deliver Inland Rail, which he said would be considered in the context of the 2016 Federal Budget.
Albanese is not impressed with the progress.
“Mr Truss has not only lacked the clout within Cabinet to secure extra funding, but is also struggling to deliver progress developing the early stages of this important project using money allocated by Labor,” the shadow minister said.