Victorian Shadow Minister for industrial relations, ports, freight and logistics Natalie Hutchins (pictured) is questioning the Napthine Government’s case for the Port of Hastings.
"The Napthine Government is determined to proceed with the Port of Hastings despite no business case, no consultation with local residents and no plans for the road and rail investment required to accommodate increased freight traffic,” Ms Hitchins press release states.
"The government has opted for a $110 million study into the Port of Hastings expansion, despite key industry figures outlining that other options should be considered.
"The Hastings port expansion is going to cost an estimated $12 billion and take over 15 years to build, it will have a limited life span and will not service predicted freight volumes by 2050.”
Ms Hitchins said there needs to be an independent cost/benefit analysis conducted.
"Labor’s position is clear, a comprehensive and transparent cost benefit analysis would be undertaken to test how Bay West stands up against other possible sites, including Hastings.
"Residents of Melbourne’s south east are rightly concerned about the prospect of freight trains running frequently through our suburbs and upwards of 20,000 additional trucks on our local roads.
"Hastings requires substantial investment in road and rail funding to get goods in and out, and without that additional investment the Nepean Highway and Dandenong Rail corridor will be flooded with trucks and trains 24 hours a day.”
Ms Hutchins’ office maintains that at full capacity, the Port of Hastings would lead to:
4,000 trucks using already congested roads to travel across the city to Melbourne’s industrial north and west every day. 140 freight trains thundering from Hastings to Tottenham via Richmond, Flinders St and Southern Cross stations every day. Irreversible damage to environmentally significant areas including Ramsar protected Wetlands. Untold damage to PhillipIsland’s nature parks, and to the wider tourism industry in the area.
