By Parker McKenzie
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has continued to attack the Labor Government on cuts to funding in the Aston electorate ahead of the by-election, downplaying that only a portion of the project’s total cost had been committed.
During a visit to a local business on Thursday 2 March, Mr Dutton said the government’s decision to “rip funding out of Aston, out of important infrastructure projects,” was made during the October 2022 budget.
“There’s a budget coming up in May and you note Catherine King yesterday, the minister confirmed that the Government will not even consider putting funds into infrastructure projects,” he said.
“That spending profile is no different to many other infrastructure projects. The claim is complete nonsense.”
Three infrastructure projects, the Wellington Road duplication, Dorset Road extension and the Napoleon Road upgrade, were shelved by the Federal Government after the Labor Party won the 2022 federal election.
On Friday 17 February, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, when asked by the Star Mail during a visit to Bayswater to announce Mary Doyle as Labor’s candidate for the by-election, said the funding was only a small portion of what was required to complete the projects.
“Alan Tudge committed to spending $50 million to upgrade Napoleon Road but the costing was more than $220 million more than he offered. He committed to the Dorset Road extension, which would have needed more than $120 million than they proposed to spend,” Mr Albanese said.
“The Wellington Road duplication where they offered $110 million would have needed six times more — $640 million — to actually deliver it, so these were just fake promises done in an election.”
Mr Dutton said the by-election is about a choice that the people of Aston have to make about “the sort of local champion that they want for their local area.”
“Roshena has demonstrated in her work as a counsellor, in her work as a solicitor and barrister, in her work as a mum of three children, the ability to balance and to juggle all of that and to achieve significant outcomes for the local community,” he said.
Ms Campbell said her move to the electorate was “underway,” and she has heard from the community that former member for Aston Alan Tudge delivered support for community groups and she would like to continue this.
“I’m going to use my experience as a counsellor, listening to the community, and as a barrister, fighting for people,” she said.
The Aston by-election will be held on Saturday 1 April.
The electorate covers Bayswater, Boronia, Ferntree Gully, Knoxfield, Rowville, Scoresby, The Basin, Wantirna and Wantirna South, and parts of Lysterfield, Sassafras and Upper Ferntree Gully.
