On Tuesday, it was confirmed by Metro Tunnel operations that pedestrians using the new concourse between Melbourne Central and State Library stations will have their Myki charged as it "will be counted as a trip".
Yesterday, Secretary of the Department of Transport and Planning, Jeroen Weimar, told State Parliament's Public Accounts and Estimates Committee that people will be charged "because the assumption would be that you've moved from one place to another".
Then appearing before the media, the Premier suggested people who tap on and off within 15 minutes will not be charged, only to later be forced to conceded this is not the case because the Myki ticketing system considers the area two separate stations.
But in a backflip just hours later, a government spokesperson stated that one Myki gate will be left open at State Library and Town Hall stations to "provide a free thoroughfare".
The Allan Labor Government is yet to explain if this will be permanent, how many staff will be required to monitor the open Myki gates, what measures will be put in place to prevent fare evasion, and how this will work practically at Flinders Street and Melbourne Central station entrances.
Shadow Minister for Public Transport, Sam Groth, said: "Under Labor, the cost of the Metro Tunnel has blown out by at least $3 billion as Victoria's net debt grows by more than $2 million an hour.
"By not providing a bypass from the ticketed areas between stations, it is either a very poor oversight from a government that hasn't managed the project properly, or an attempt to effectively create the first pedestrian tollway in Australia on purpose because they're desperate for cash.
"Labor cannot manage money, cannot manage major projects, and Victorians are paying the price."
