Tuesday, 31 October 2023

Shepparton bypass

Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (17:09): (540) My adjournment debate issue is for the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, and it relates to Labor’s continued neglect of the Shepparton bypass project. The action that I seek is for the minister to match the Liberal Party’s election commitment and provide $260 million as the state government’s 20 per cent contribution to construction of stage 1 of the Shepparton bypass project.

During the October 2022 floods one of the most significant issues was the isolation of Mooroopna from Shepparton due to the necessary closure of the Peter Ross-Edwards Causeway. The forced closure of the causeway highlighted the need for a second river crossing built above flood levels to ensure that the community is not divided in the future. For many years Greater Shepparton has regularly listed the bypass as the region’s number one priority; however, the state Labor government has regularly placed the bypass as its last priority by showing no interest in the project. Stage 1 of the Shepparton bypass project is a vital component of road infrastructure that will remove dangerous heavy vehicles from their current route through the central business districts of Shepparton and Mooroopna and relieve pressure on the Peter Ross-Edwards Causeway, which carries about 30,000 vehicle movements per day.

Importantly, this section of the bypass will deliver a much-needed second river crossing between Shepparton and Mooroopna. Following the devastation of the floods, the need for a second river crossing between the two main towns of the Greater Shepparton region is clear. Having the only access point between Shepparton and Mooroopna completely inaccessible for five days meant that residents in Mooroopna, Tatura and other towns west of the river had no access to the hospital or other vital healthcare services that are all located on the Shepparton side of the river. Planning and advocacy for the bypass has been going on for three decades. It is time both the state and federal governments got on with delivering this vital first piece of the bypass that would deliver a second river crossing between Shepparton and Mooroopna.