The Hon Dr Denis Napthine MP
The Hon Dr Denis Napthine MP Victorian Premier, the Hon Dr Denis Napthine MP outlines key planned or underway infrastructure projects in Victoria in a wideranging address to the infrastructure sector. Key points: • Victoria’s budget reforms see the state able to deploy a record infrastructure programme of $27 billion over the forward estimates. • The focus on urban rail and road projects reflects the substantial congestion and growth challenge. • The privatisation of the Port of Melbourne is a key focus, with the proceeds to fund new infrastructure. • Privatising the Port of Melbourne means that Victoria must resolve the timing and impact of additional container port capacity. • Major investments in motorways and urban rail will equip Melbourne for growth and prosperity.
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We have a very diverse and exciting infrastructure agenda. It’s an infrastructure agenda that’s being driven by the needs of people and families in Victoria. It’s an agenda that is to meet the needs of a growing population, and it’s an infrastructure agenda on which we are keen to work in partnership with the private sector to develop and deliver. This infrastructure agenda is built on the back of hard work, in terms of economic management, and we’re fortunate, in terms of the 2014–15 Budget, to reaffirm our Triple-A credit rating and also to have budget surpluses in this year, and each and every year of the forward estimates. We’re the only state or territory across Australia that has that strong budgetary position. And in early September, our Triple-A credit rating was reaffirmed by ratings agency Standard & Poor’s, who cited ‘the state’s very strong financial management, economy and exceptional liquidity’ and our ‘strong budgetary performance’ in a recent report. But we don’t manage the economy well to get plaudits for economic management. We manage
Volume 5 Number 1
31/10/14 4:39 PM
