I HAVE long admired those with a passion and commitment for rail, both passenger and freight. It is disappointing therefore to read the Scott Ramsay defence of Labor’s Jacinta Allan in his letter of April 7 ("Transport concerns over zoning").
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In fact:
1. I did not promise a rail link from Geelong to Bendigo. I promised to complete a feasibility study into the issue, which was completed in 2013.
2. The feasibility study by Public Transport Victoria found the cost of completing a rail link between Bendigo and Geelong would be between $760 million and $935 million, vastly more than the $100 million Mr Ramsay often repeats.
3. The most recent Victorian election was 2010, not 2012.
4. Labor, in the lead-up to the 1999 election, promised that if it won government it would reinstate the train service to Leongatha. Having won government, it reneged on that promise. Jacinta Allan was a member of that Labor government.
5. The rail line to which Mr Ramsay refers is west of Leongatha and remains in place – it has not been “ripped up”. It continues to be used in part for the Tourist Rail between Nyora and Leongatha – a proposal which the Coalition government has supported through our Regional Growth Fund.
6. The rail trail which Mr Ramsay disparages runs east from Leongatha, has also been supported through the Regional Growth Fund and has been a spectacular success for our region.
The Coalition government continues to support rural and regional Victoria – particularly through the Regional Growth Fund, which has now allocated $394 million, resulting in almost $1.6 billion of total investment, expected to result in more than 5000 direct jobs and many more created indirectly.
Jacinta Allan should be honest with her constituents. Mr Ramsay should stop defending Ms Allan and stick to the facts.
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