Suburban Rail Loop bill hits $126m with sewer the ‘key achievement’
Victoria’s Suburban Rail Loop Authority has spent $126 million during its first 18 months of operations, with the “key achievement” being the laying of a 630-metre sewer pipe, annual reports reveal as experts call for it to be paused.
The $125 billion project, which would follow a 90-kilometre loop from Frankston in Melbourne’s south-east bayside to Werribee in the western suburbs, has faced fierce criticism from experts, while Victoria’s auditor-general has previously raised concerns that the project was not subject to an adequate business case assessment.
Victoria’s Suburban Rail Loop project is not part of federal Labor’s infrastructure review. Jason South
Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King insisted on Monday that the project was an “important part of transforming Melbourne”. “Any further investments in Suburban Rail will be subject to Infrastructure Australia processes,” she said.
The Suburban Rail Loop Authority’s annual report, tabled in parliament last week, shows that $126.7 million was spent from December 2021 to June 30, 2023, with the body’s “key achievement” being the use of a remote-controlled micro-tunnelling machine to lay a new 630-metre sewer pipe in Clayton, as well as setting up a worksite.
A total of $84.8 million was spent in the 2023 financial year, including $42 million on wages for 538 full-time staff. This included 68 executives who pocketed more than $220,000 and two who earned more than $500,000. The SRLA spent $41.9 million over the period from December 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, including $16.7 million on wages for 348 staff.
Liberal MP David Southwick last week asked Suburban Rail Loop Minister Danny Pearson: “At a time when Victorians are doing it tough, how is paying over $126
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