In an unconvincing and evasive appearance before the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC), Minister for Transport Infrastructure Gabrielle Williams refused to explain how much Cross Yarra Partnerships will be paying to cover cost blowouts on the Metro Tunnel, following an agreement reached last year.
Already, the Metro Tunnel is expected to cost $13.5 billion. However, unlike other major projects such as the West Gate Tunnel, the blowout suffered by the Cross Yarra Partnership on the Metro Tunnel - which the government claims is a 'commensurate' amount - has not been disclosed in the budget. If the amount is in fact commensurate, this would take the total cost of the project over $14 billion.
Shadow Minister for Major Projects, Evan Mulholland, said: "This is unprecedented. For every other major project, total blowout figures have been disclosed, whether by taxpayers, corporations, or consortiums," Mr Mulholland said.
"The fact the government is refusing to reveal the full cost of the Metro Tunnel blowouts reeks of a government addicted to cover-ups.
"Given John Holland, part of the Cross Yarra Partnerships, also has interests in the Suburban Rail Loop and is among the preferred bidders for upcoming contracts, this could set a dangerous precedent for permanently hiding blowouts on the SRL for decades to come.
"Victorians are being taken for a ride, and not on the Metro Tunnel. They're being forced to fork out over $800 million, yet the Labor Government won't even admit how much the project has blown out by. That's not incompetence - it's dishonesty.
"Labor can't manage major projects, they can't manage a budget, and now they're trying to cover up a billion-dollar trainwreck. Ultimately, it's Victorians who are paying the price through endless increases in taxes."
