Staley critical of hold-up response

Member for Ripon Louise Staley has called the State Government ‘slow and ineffective’ in dealing with a hold-up of a Western Highway dual-carriageway project.

She accused Planning Minister Richard Wynne of failing to intervene to help reinstate a planning permit needed for the project to resume.

“Work on the vital project ground to a halt earlier this year following a simple paperwork blunder involving the Andrews government failing to apply for a planning-permit extension on the project in 2015,” she said.

Ms Staley said the expiry of the planning permit was unrelated to legal action in the Supreme Court between a district farmer and Vicroads.

Ms Staley asked in State Parliament in February for Mr Wynne to issue a new planning permit to allow work to get underway again.

“In his response, the Planning Minister indicated that he would not act until further paperwork was received from Vicroads,” she said.

Ms Staley said the government’s ‘bungling of this project’ was costing the region dearly.

“Jobs are being lost and businesses are bleeding money while the Andrews government fails to renew the planning permit on the Western Highway duplication,” she said.

“The Planning Minister is incapable of action. While he procrastinates our region suffers.

“The Western Highway duplication is one the biggest single infrastructure projects in western Victoria and the Andrews government has completely botched this up.

“The government created this problem by not even noticing it had allowed the planning permit to expire more than two years ago.

“While work is halted on the highway duplication, people are out of work and workers are not spending money at shops, motels and restaurants. This project is crucial to our local economy.”

Vicroads suspended construction of a section of highway between Buangor and Ararat in the wake of an ‘administration issue’ involving the planning permit.