TRANSCRIPT

THE HON PETER COSTELLO MP

TREASURER

Interview with Steve Murphy

3AW

Wednesday, 8 September 2004

4.45 pm

MURPHY:

Well the Federal election campaign continues to roll on, and today, the

band wagon was in Melbourne’s East, or at least part of the band wagon was.

Federal Treasurer Peter Costello has promised an extra $120 million for

the Scoresby Freeway provided the Bracks Labor Government stands by its

original pledge not to make that freeway a tollway. Mr Costello joins us

on the Wednesday edition of 3AW drive time, Treasurer, good afternoon.

TREASURER:

Good afternoon.

MURPHY:

How deep is the money bag you are drawing this money from?

TREASURER:

Well of course it is money for constructing probably the most important

road in Melbourne, because this is a road which can bring traffic out of

the eastern suburbs where about a million people, more than a million people

live and put it onto the ring road and onto the freeway.

MURPHY:

I must admit my initial reaction was that it is a bit tough having to pay

a pollie $120 million to get him to keep a promise.

TREASURER:

Ah well, you know I have got here a letter that Steve Bracks wrote to every

person in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne before his election. Let me just

read you, it is called Bracks Listens and Acts, Steve Bracks, Premier of

Victoria. “Labor will build the Scoresby Freeway on time and on budget.

These are not just election time promises. They are my firm commitment to

you and your family, and they will be honoured.” That is what Steve

Bracks said before the last State election. He personally signed and mailed

this letter to all of the people in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne. He

said, vote for me and I will build the Scoresby Freeway. Now the Commonwealth

Government has said that this is a very important road, it is a Road of

National Importance, the Commonwealth will come in, it will fund it fifty

per cent. We made available the original amount of money which was required

to build it, which was $445 million each. Now because Bracks has been delaying

on all of this, the cost has gone up. We have said we will meet the additional

cost fifty per cent, so there is another $120 million. Now, all that Mr

Bracks has to do is keep his word, what is the problem?

MURPHY:

Well it doesn’t look as though he is going to …

TREASURER:

I don’t know about that, I am going to stop you there. Steve Bracks …

MURPHY:

He has dismissed it this afternoon …

TREASURER:

Well, no, no, no. Steve Bracks is trying to say to people, oh, look, you

are going to get a toll, you know, give up fighting, you are going to get

a toll. What I would say to people is this. If there is a big vote against

Labor in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne on the 9^th of October,

there will not be tolls on that freeway. I make that prediction. If there

is a big protest vote against Labor on the 9^th of October, Steve

Bracks will be forced to honour his promise. Don’t give up.

MURPHY:

Well I suppose, no, you should never give up, particularly when it comes

to the issue of whether we need to, or don’t need to pay tolls. This extra

$120 million though, Treasurer. There is a lot of money being splashed about.

How deep is the money bag?

TREASURER:

Well, actually, you know this is $120 million, and it is a substantial

commitment in relation to the Scoresby freeway, but it is affordable within

the Commonwealth’s Budget position. We have got an Auslink programme, over

several years, of $11.8 billion, so that gives you some idea of the road

building dimensions throughout the Commonwealth, but this is affordable

within the context of our overall commitments.

MURPHY:

Just quickly on another issue before we go because we are a bit pressed

for time today with all of the goings-on down at Hawthorn, and the appointment

of a new coach down there, how is your progress going in terms of constructing

a demolition job on Mark Latham’s tax package?

TREASURER:

Well, the tax package is sinking fast.

MURPHY:

As fast as you would like?

TREASURER:

Oh, well, it is sinking fast. You know it turned out he had got caught

that he had rigged the tables. I don’t know if your listeners have caught

up with that …

MURPHY:

By not including the $600 family payment …

TREASURER:

Yes, he tried to rig the tables to make it look as if people would be better

off under Labor’s policy, and he has been pinned.

MURPHY:

And that’s the first instalment, and finally I guess what I am getting

at is, can we expect another salvo from you, and if so how soon will that

be?

TREASURER:

Oh, there will be more salvos. Oh yeah, because this is full of holes.

But I think the proper thing to do now would be for him to submit it for

costing. And then it can be costed and we will know the full cost of it

because at the moment he is hiding it from costing, and I think I would

like to make a few points once it has been costed. So we would say to Mr

Latham, put it in for costing, have the decency to do that, and then we

will have a lot more to say about it.

MURPHY:

Well a long way to go, good luck with the rest of the campaign.

TREASURER:

Thank you very much. Thanks.