Analysis: Liberal leader says health will be prioritised, but Labor is happy for an election on the issue
It was three months out from the 2018 state election when Victoria’s premier, Daniel Andrews, took to Facebook with a“The biggest public transport project in history is coming to,” a voiceover said, describing a proposed 90km underground railway running between Cheltenham in the south-east and Werribee in the south-west via a long-awaited station at Melbourne airport.
Four years later and three months out from another election, the Coalition are proposing to shelve the project. Guy characterises the election as a “clear choice” between better healthcare or the new rail line in 13 years’ time. Labor’s ranks are also quick to say there’s a $12bn investment for the health system in this year’s budget, on top of the $158bn spent on the sector since it won office in 2014.
Guy frames himself as the leader of all of Victoria, which will play well in regional areas who have felt taken for granted – particularly during the pandemic, when many areas without a single case of Covid were still included in lockdowns. She describes the suburban rail loop as not only the largest, but also one of the “least-scrutinised projects in recent Australian history”.
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