2018-07-10
The Greens are calling for an end to the secrecy over how much money Transurban is making from Victorians.
Reports today cast doubts on whether the fees Transburban charges Victorians only cover costs, or whether the multinational company is profiting from pursuing unpaid tolls, image matching and replacing eTags.
Quotes attributable to Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam
“Both Labor and the opposition are proposing new mega toll roads if they win the next election. Transurban is at the centre of both party’s transport plans, and Victorians should not be kept in the dark about how they’re being charged.
“Earlier this year it was reported that Transurban collected $388 million in tolls from Melbourne drivers in six months, on top of these fees. Daniel Andrews must clarify when Transurban’s super profits clause, that allows tolling on CityLink to end before 2035, comes into effect.
“We should not be allowing Transurban to set the agenda for transport in Victoria. If the two major parties are determined to build more toll roads, the least they can do for Victorians is ensure they’re not being taken for a ride.”
Quotes attributable to Federal spokesperson for transport, Janet Rice
“Governments across the country are increasingly relying on Transurban to build and run our road network. All but three toll roads in Australia are run by them.
“Today's revelations demonstrate that Transurban is overwhelmingly driven by increasing profits rather than working in the interests of commuters.
“What's worse, with state governments increasingly prioritising toll roads over public transport, Transurban's profits are going through the roof while people are locked into using these expensive toll roads because they have no other transport option.”
Victorian Greens member for Western Metro, Huong Truong, has introduced a bill to fix the broken toll fine system. If Transurban is profiting from pursuing unpaid tolls, this bill becomes even more urgent.
“The current system isn’t working. Labor know this, that’s why they’ve written a whole lot of changes into the West Gate Tunnel Project Bill. But we could be waiting until 2022 before this is introduced. We can’t afford the current status quo to continue for that long.”