No. 081

COALITION OFFERS AN EXTRA $120 MILLION FOR THE SCORESBY FREEWAY

I am announcing today that the Coalition will increase our contribution to

the Scoresby Freeway by $120 million, to a total of $565 million, provided the

Victorian Government reverses its decision to impose tolls.

Our previous commitment to the freeway was $445 million, including $23.5 million

that was paid to Victoria for pre-construction works before it decided to impose

the tolls.

All that Steve Bracks will have to do to receive the funding is to honour the

Scoresby Transport Corridor Agreement that his government signed in October

2001. The agreement states that:

3(d) Victoria undertakes to ensure that users

of the Scoresby Freeway will not be required to pay a direct toll.

The choice for Melbourne residents is clear.

The Coalition will give Steve Bracks 120 million extra reasons to honour his

word, keep to the Agreement and build a freeway.

Mark Latham and Labor want to tear up the Agreement, break their promise to

the people of the Eastern suburbs and spend the money elsewhere.

If Latham, Bracks and Labor have their way, people in the east of Melbourne

will have to pay tolls to use their roads while people in the west of Melbourne

will use their roads toll free.

The Coalition is able to increase our commitment to the freeway because of

our strong economic and financial management over the past 8 years.

The commitment is in addition to the $11.8 billion in land transport funding

that we announced in our visionary land transport plan, AusLink. The cost is

included in the Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

MELBOURNE

8 September 2004