Albanese confirms bridges to fall under Labor
20th June, 2010
Rudd Labor has confirmed it will not lift a finger to prevent up to 30,000 small road bridges around Australia from continuing to decay and abandoned to traffic.The wild criticism of the Coalition’s $600 million Bridges Renewal Program by Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese is also a giant snub to local government.
“I was very proud to announce this program on behalf of the Coalition last week, in front of hundreds of representatives of local government,” said the Shadow Minister for Trade, Transport and Local Government, Warren Truss.
“Councils have been asking for a program like this which will assist them with the expensive business of replacing or rebuilding ageing bridges, many of them in regional Australia. Some councils have up to 100 bridges to maintain, many of which need expensive upgrades or risk falling into the river.
“Predictably, the only word of criticism has come from the Federal Labor Party. Like clockwork, Mr Albanese issued a release which makes it crystal clear he’s just not interested.
“His negative reaction is very reminiscent of a former Labor leader, Kim Beazley, who called Roads to Recovery a ‘boondoggle’, meaning a waste of time and money. Mr Beazley was rightly humiliated over that comment in 2000, and Roads to Recovery has since gone on to become one of the best loved and most successful government programs ever.
“It is obvious - Labor never learns. In fact, Mr Albanese has been wandering the country questioning the future of Roads to Recovery.
“I have given a guarantee about the future of Roads to Recovery under the Coalition – it is time Mr Albanese, Mr Rudd and Ms Gillard do the same for Labor. I fear that a re-elected Labor government would scrap or wind back Roads to Recovery.
“Labor’s criticism and negativity about a program as worthy as the Coalition’s Bridges Renewal Program is a huge blow to councils, and another sad example of Labor’s arrogance and disinterest in serious policy,” Mr Truss said.
