Cardinia Shire mayor Garry Runge, Bass MP Ken Smith, Gembrook candidate Simon Wildes, Opposition leader Robert Doyle and Eumemmerring MP Gordon RichPhillips in Rix Road, Officer. Picture: Meagan Trotter.By Paul Dunlop
ROADS in Cardinia Shire would get a $2.43 million boost from a State Liberal Government, Opposition leader Robert Doyle claimed on Monday.
Mr Doyle was in the area to unveil his party’s plan to match the amount of funding councils currently receive through the Federal Government’s Roads to Recovery program.
Under the plan, the City of Casey would get $2.13 million.
Mr Doyle met Cardinia Shire mayor Garry Runge and chief executive officer Don Welsh at Pakenham and later spoke with Casey mayor Neil Lucas, Casey chief executive Mike Tyler and councillors at Narre Warren.
He was joined on his visit by Eumemmerring MP Gordon RichPhillips, Bass MP Ken Smith and Liberal candidate for Gembrook Simon Wildes.
Hot on the heels of his admission that he could not guarantee his promise that the Eastlink freeway would be tollfree a promise also broken by Premier Steve Bracks Mr Doyle was in the area to promote the plan to improve poor standard roads and bridges.
The Liberal Party’s road policy has been tagged ‘Halving Labor’s Tolls, Fixing Country Roads, Eliminating Labor’s Waste’.
The Opposition claims the policy, which includes halving tolls on Eastlink until 2014 and trimming funds from other areas of government spending, would help address one of the greatest needs in local government.
“Most councils tell me that their biggest issue is roads,” Mr Doyle said.
“This policy aims to address the financial constraints council face on improving roads and bridges.”
Mr Doyle toured Rix Road in Officer with Cr Runge as part of his visit to Cardinia Shire.
Cr Runge said the road was among several ‘northsouth’ links in the area that the council would like to see improved. Under the Liberal Party plan, the Shire of Cardinia would receive $486,287 in 200708, $972,573 in 200809 and the same again in 200910.
Mr Doyle said the funding would not come on stream until 2008 to give councils time to determine which roads and bridges were priorities.
Claiming waste had been a hallmark of the State Labor Government, Mr Doyle said it would be up to each council how funding was spent.
Mr Doyle said a Liberal State Government would provide $127 million to councils for road and bridge repairs.
