Highlighting yet another failed Andrews Labor Government project, the Victorian Auditor-General has confirmed long-held fears that the rollout of wire rope barriers in Victoria is deeply flawed and the cost of the project will blowout by $100 million.
In a scathing report released today, the Auditor-General found there was no business case for the program. Additionally, the Auditor-General found the Andrews Labor Government “does not have strong evidence to support” its claim that wire rope barriers would reduce crashes by 85 per cent, with the Auditor-General finding the figure is around 56 per cent.
In the report, the Auditor-General stated that “if the crash reduction figure is overstated, the benefit-cost ration will be, which can mislead decision-makers….”
Further, the report also found there are no adequate records of the locations of different types of barriers. This hinders the ability to provide emergency services with exact locations of gaps between barriers, as well as not being able to assess effectiveness or schedule maintenance activities.
No record was found to have been kept of how often flexible barriers are maintained, and there is no timeliness standard for repairs.
The rollout of wire rope barriers is yet another poorly-managed Andrews Labor Government project, where the budget has been bungled, the benefits overstated and no strategic plan or record keeping.
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Road Safety and the TAC, Brad Battin:
“Daniel Andrews has, time and time again, shown that he can’t manage infrastructure projects.
“Andrews has been too distracted by infighting and branch-stacking ministers to have proper oversight of this project and this has cost tax-paying Victorians an extra $100 million.
“The flawed rationale for the project, flawed selection of installation sites, flawed management…..I could go on.
“When will the Andrews Labor Government wake up and manage Victoria properly, instead of stacking branches?”
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Rural Roads, Roma Britnell:
“The community has been deeply concerned about the rollout of wire rope barriers for years.
“The Liberal Nationals have long been raising these concerns but, the Andrews Labor Government brushed them aside and called those objecting “banjo playing dingbats”.
“Now we find the program is deeply flawed, and once again we see how poorly managed Victoria’s road network is.”
