Toll plan ‘halfbaked’

By Nathan Johnston
MULGRAVE MP Daniel Andrews said the Liberal Party’s plan to halve tolls on Eastlink would result in funding cuts to schools, hospital, police, roads and other services.
The Noble Parkbased MP said Opposition leader Robert Doyle’s fiveyear plan to subsidise the tolls through eliminating waste in government was halfbaked.
“If these are delivered for five years, the community has the right to know where these cuts are coming from,” Mr Andrews said.
“It’s likely funds will be pulled from hospitals, schools, police or other road projects to pay for what I believe is another halfbaked policy.”
Mr Doyle released the package last week.
His original plan was to make the freeway tollfree, as Premier Steve Bracks had initially promised before the 2002 election.
But Mr Doyle said halving the costs was the best he could do for motorists.
“I wish the people of the eastern and south eastern suburbs didn’t have to pay for any of Labor’s tolls,” he said.
“But I believe the Liberal Party’s offer is far better that Steve Bracks’ and Labor’s response.”
Mr Doyle said the Liberal Party’s package would save regular users of Eastlink $15 per week or about $715 per year, and lead to the investment of $127 million for country roads and bridges.
But Mr Andrews said Mr Doyle’s promise to find more than $500 million to fund the package was unrealistic and threatened other services.
“We as a government have spent so long rebuilding after the savage cutbacks to schools and police numbers under the previous Liberal Government,” he said.
Mr Andrews said Eastlink would be an election issue in the south eastern suburbs, but believed people were more interested in when the freeway would be completed.
“People will cast their vote on a range of issues and Eastlink will be one of them, as will police, hospitals and schools,” he said.
“People will be looking to support a team that is committed to delivering these services.”
RACV corporate relations manager David Cumming said Labor’s original promise should not be forgotten.
“Our position is very clear,” he said.
“It was promised to be built tollfree, and the State Government should stick to that promise.
“In relation to Robert Doyle’s policy, there is a lot to digest and we will analyse that, survey our members and come to a conclusion.
“But we want people to remember that this was a road that was promised to be built tollfree.”