Liberal Nationals Coalition secures better port outcome
The Liberal Nationals Coalition have secured a much better outcome for Victoria on legislation for the port of Melbourne lease.
The government has agreed to the amendments we sought, and the legislation is set to be passed this week.
Our stand has forced the Labor government to abandon its plan to block or limit a second international port operating in Victoria at any time within the next 50 years.
This would have put a handbrake on future growth and jobs, and exposed taxpayers to massive compensation payments, so they could artificially boost the sale price for the port of Melbourne lease.
Instead, any taxpayer compensation if a second container port is built in Victoria is limited to just the first fifteen years after a port of Melbourne lease deal is signed.
As Opposition Leader, Matthew Guy, says:
The Liberal Nationals have spent months ensuring the best deal possible for business, agricultural producers and consumers – both today and future generations.
Importantly the proposed amended Bill does not preclude the development of a second container port for Victoria after the adaptation of a reasonable compensation regime capped to the first fifteen years.
Further, at the insistence of the Liberal Nationals, up to $700 million will be spent on improving transport infrastructure in rural and regional areas instead of the government’s original plan to spend all the proceeds of sale in Melbourne.
The process engaged by the Upper House inquiry last year bought many critical issues to the attention of the Parliament. It is this evidence that has guided the Liberal Nationals position and as such, this evidence that has produced what is now a workable, reasonable outcome.