The Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry is calling on the Victorian Government to use its first State Budget to develop an Infrastructure Plan, prioritising projects that will help drive economic development and improve liveability.

 

VECCI CEO Wayne Kayler-Thomson said Victoria’s infrastructure was in clear need of a targeted approach to its maintenance and improvement.

 

“The 2010 Victorian Infrastructure Report Card by the Institution of Engineers rated the State’s energy, telecommunication, transport and water infrastructure as ‘barely adequate’,” he said.

 

Key projects VECCI believes should to be included in a long-term Infrastructure Plan (out to 2030) are:

  • the extension of the Melbourne Exhibition Centre
  • East-West road/public transport link
  • completion of the metropolitan ring road-North East interconnector
  • building of both eastern and western arms of Melbourne Metro
  • maximisation and possible extension of Webb Dock
  • a Major Projects Facilitation Bill to help progress important projects
  • new and improved nature-based tourism facilities, particularly on public land
  • accelerate the Tourism Investment Fund to kick-start important projects
  • a regional superhighway between Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton and the Hume Highway
  • enhancement of Docklands infrastructure to improve liveability, including canals.

 

After three months in power, the Baillieu government has still to announce its decisions on a number of major infrastructure works already underway. These include the $300 million Epping wholesale fruit and vegetable market, the new $55 million Caroline Springs railway station, the $360 million HealthSmart IT project for Victoria's hospitals and the $1.3 billion myki ticketing system.