Media Releases

Local Member for Rodney, Paul Weller has supported action by the community to voice their opinion on the second river crossing for Echuca Moama ahead of a planned rally.

The rally is being organised by The Committee 4 Echuca Moama (C4EM) and is scheduled for Thursday June 28. 

“I support action by the community to voice their opinions on this most important issue” Mr Weller said.

Mr Weller said the Victorian Coalition Government went to the last election with a commitment to pursue the Mid-West 2 option. 

“We believe this to be the best option that accurately reflects community sentiment and allows the community to move forward,” Mr Weller said.

“The government remains committed to exploring all proper avenues for a route west of the cemetery and the planning investigation for all four alignment options needs to be completed,” he said. 

Mr Weller paid tribute to the group of local residents who have voluntarily committed their time, experience and expertise to the current community consultation process.

“I thank this group for the crucial role they are playing in ensuring the selection of the overall best performing and most beneficial alignment option west of the cemetery,” he said. 

Mr Weller said he shares the determination of The Committee 4 Echuca Moama (C4EM) to see the process through and deliver a much needed bridge for our community.

“I know how badly the people of Echuca-Moama want a new river crossing, but I also know that they want it to be built in the best possible location to meet the overall balanced needs of this community well into the future,” he said. 

Mr Weller said he looks forward to attending the rally.

Nationals Member for Rodney Paul Weller has rejected claims by the Murray Shire that it would take at least four years for studies to be completed for the mid-west 2 Murray River bridge option.

Mr Weller said the Victorian Roads Minister and VicRoads had confirmed the planning studies would be completed within 12 to 18 months after which time the necessary planning approvals would be obtained to enable funding applications to be made for construction.

Mr Weller said calls by some Murray Shire councillors to scrap the investigation of the mid-west 2 corridor alignment and re-instate the mid-west option would do nothing to fast-track construction of a new bridge.

“To say that this will enable an early resolution to the bridge issue is completely inaccurate and misleading,” he said.

“It won’t affect the timeline for construction of a new bridge in any way, shape or form.

“The fact of the matter is that there was no money in the former Victorian Labor Government’s forward projections for the next four years for a bridge for Echuca-Moama, so even if Labor was still in power, not a sod of dirt would have been turned on this project during this term of government.”

Mr Weller said the Liberal-National Coalition was elected on a commitment to the people of Echuca to investigate a mid-west 2 corridor.

“This alignment was formulated by representatives from the Community Consultation Group (CCG) and Save Vic Park group and has far greater community support than the mid-west option,” he said.

“The planning studies are well underway for this corridor and I promise that everything is being done to ensure the process is carried out as expeditiously as possible.”

Recent media reports of major cost blow-outs surrounding the mid-west two bridge option over the Murray River at Echuca-Moama have been hosed down at a ministerial-level bridge meeting in Melbourne.

 

Nationals Member for Rodney Paul Weller led a deputation with the Victorian Roads Minister Terry Mulder last week to discuss claims made by VicRoads that the mid-west two option could cost an extra $50 million than the mid-west one alignment.

 

Echuca-Moama community representative and engineer Alf Grigg joined Mr Weller at Thursday’s meeting, along with VicRoads representatives and ministerial staff.

 

Mr Weller said VicRoads had recently been quoted in the media predicting that a mid-west two alignment could require an additional 700m of flood relief structure, necessitating an additional cost of $40-$50 million over the mid-west one option.

 

He said the issue was discussed at length with the Minister and quickly resolved.

 

“The mid-west two road alignment can be dramatically improved in terms of floodway impact by shifting it 150 metres to the south to minimise the flood provision works,” he said.

 

“This slight shift in alignment would dramatically reduce the majority of the cost differential between the two options as well as having the additional benefit of reducing the impact on fauna and flora.”

 

Mr Weller said the meeting also discussed media references to project delays brought about by the Coalition Government’s decision to scrap the mid-west option in favour of the mid-west two corridor.

 

He said while some delay was inevitable given that a new planning study was required, it was far more important to ensure that the best outcome was achieved for the Echuca-Moama community.

 

“The mid-west two alignment is a better overall project outcome and while it may take a little longer to achieve, it will be worth it in the long-term.

 

“I know how badly the people of Echuca-Moama want a new river crossing, but I also know that they want it to be built in the best possible location to meet the overall balanced needs of this community well into the future.”

 

Mr Weller said the Baillieu-Ryan Government was committed to the mid-west two bridge alignment and the planning study by VicRoads was continuing to run on schedule.

The Mid-West 2 option would become the preferred priority for Echuca-Moama’s long awaited second bridge crossing if the Coalition wins government on November 27, Nationals Member for Rodney, Paul Weller, said today.

 

Mr Weller said that the city had been “bullied” into accepting the Mid-West option by the Brumby Government, which had chosen to ignore local feeling on the issue.

 

“The Mid-West 2 is by the far the best option, and the one preferred by a large majority of local people. It will have the least amount of environmental impact on Victoria Park and its environs and will take traffic well away from residential areas on the western fringe of the city.

 

“While I appreciate that the Mid West option has been given the support of both the Shire of Campaspe and Vic Roads, there has been little more done other than some preliminary planning. It is not too late for commonsense to prevail,” he said.

 

Mr Weller said that Mid-West 2 option had been ruled out on the basis of concerns raised by the Yorta Yorta people over possible damage to aboriginal heritage sites.

 

“However, this claim has never been contested. In government, we would be asking Vic Roads to submit the Mid West 2 option as the nominated site and that, if necessary, the issue goes to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal for a final ruling.

 

“There is provision for this type of action under legislation which was introduced by Labor under the then premier, Steve Bracks

 

“We would be enacting that legislation to ensure the best possible outcome for Echuca and Moama residents, and based on everything that I have seen and heard, that is the Mid west 2 option.

 

“This is a once in a generation opportunity, and we need to get it right. The whole saga has been running for about 40 years now, and we would be acting firmly to bring about a successful resolution,” Mr Weller said.

 

He said the current government’s only action in 11 years on the issue had been to force an unpopular option on the local communities, without any real thought about the harmful, long-term impacts it would have.

 

“In government, it is a challenge I would really look forward to taking on,” Mr Weller said.

A change of government is the only way Echuca people will get their preferred Murray River bridge crossing option, according to Nationals Member for Rodney, Paul Weller.

 

Mr Weller announced this week that the Mid West 2 option, which comes out west of the cemetery, was now official Coalition policy.

 

“Confirmation of this has come through from Coalition leader Ted Baillieu, who has pledged that a coalition government would make a fresh application under Heritage legislation to build the bridge on the Mid West 2 alignment.

 

“It is great news and gives the people of Echuca hope that commonsense will finally prevail,” he said.

 

In response to an approach by Mr Weller, Mr Baillieu said the Coalition “did not believe concerns about noise, traffic and aesthetics have been adequately resolved, nor do we believe the proposed corridor is in the best long-term future interests of the Echuca-Moama community”.

 

Mr Baillieu said the Coalition believed that the Mid West 2 option was the best compromise.

 

Mr Baillieu said if the fresh application was not supported “from the relevant registered parties”, a Coalition government would take the matter to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

 

Mr Baillieu said a Coalition government would only reconsider the Mid West option if all proper avenues for exploring a “west of the cemetery” route had been exhausted.

 

In welcoming Mr Baillieu’s assurance, Mr Weller said there was finally a very real opportunity of getting the long-awaited river crossing on an alignment that the majority of the community supported and one which would provide the best long term benefits for the region.

 

“”In my view the Mid West option has been foisted upon this community by a government that is not interested in listening to the real concerns of the local community. I believe the government’s attitude left the council in a very difficult position.

 

“Mr Baillieu has now clearly indicated that there is a better way forward, but it can only be achieved with a change of government. I hope that come November 27, the people of Echuca-Moama will finally have the news they have been waiting for,” he said.  

The Nationals Member for Rodney Paul Weller has attacked the Brumby Government’s transport credentials during a debate in State Parliament over Labor’s $38 billion Victorian transport plan.

In Parliament last week, the government chose to dedicate discussion on a matter of public importance to its transport plan which it claimed had provided the state with the best transport network in Australia.

During his speech on the matter, Mr Weller rejected the government’s claims and criticised Labor’s record on the delivery of transport projects since 1999.

He said the government was in denial over the many problems facing the travelling public of Victoria.

“The Premier has forged a reputation for failing to deliver on transport systems across country Victoria,” Mr Weller said.

“In the Rodney electorate the government is trying to force a Murray River bridge crossing at Echuca-Moama despite considerable opposition to its location.

“The Brumby Government has pressured the Campaspe Shire Council into supporting the mid-west bridge corridor by insinuating that they would not get a second river crossing unless they accepted that route.”

Mr Weller said the mid-west bridge alignment was not in the best interests of the Echuca-Moama community.

“The negative aspects of the mid-west bridge corridor include a substantial increase in vehicle noise, the loss of aesthetic appeal in the tourism and residential areas of Echuca, the loss of public recreational and educational facilities within the former secondary college, tennis club and Victoria Park precinct and the potential for increased traffic levels in the port of Echuca precinct.

“The problems associated with the corridor could quite easily be resolved through some alignment modifications and further negotiations, but the government is refusing to work with the community to address those concerns.”

Mr Weller said the government was acting unreasonably in bullying the community into accepting a less than optimal route for a second river crossing.

“The community is not happy about the alignment and nor is it happy about being railroaded on an issue of such critical importance to the region,” he said.

“The government needs to start listening to communities when it comes to transport issues such as the Echuca-Moama bridge rather than carrying on with this unwarranted self-congratulatory praise which Victorians are growing very tired of.”

The Nationals Member for Rodney Paul Weller has accused the Brumby Labor Government of bullying the Campaspe Shire into supporting the Mid-West bridge corridor.

Mr Weller said the government had pressured councillors into believing they would not get a second river crossing at Echuca-Moama unless they supported the Mid-West alignment.

He said the bullying tactic was yet another example of the Brumby Government riding roughshod over country Victorians.

“It was made very clear by a number of councillors at last night’s meeting that they were voting in favour of the Mid-West corridor because they had been told by the Roads Minister that it was ‘the only option’.

“If the Mid-West was the only option then what was the point of the two year investigation and community consultation process?

“It is becoming alarmingly apparent that the government had already made up its mind on the bridge location and was just using the investigation to trick the community into believing they were being consulted.”

Mr Weller said a golden opportunity was missed at last night’s council meeting to defer a decision on the Mid-West corridor to allow time to test the merits of an alternate alignment - the Mid-West Two.

He said the Mid-West Two option was a true compromised position of the community of Echuca-Moama and it would be an enormous shame not to investigate whether it met the approval of the Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation.

“We may have wasted that opportunity last night, but there are still options for the community to
stand up to the government on this issue.

“There will now be a detailed planning process to go through which will present an opportunity for the community to continue to voice its concerns about the Mid-West option.

“I urge the community and its representatives to stand up to the bullying tactics of the Victorian Labor Government and to fight for what is in the best long-term interests of our community.”

The Nationals Member for Rodney Paul Weller has urged Campaspe Shire councillors to defer a decision on the Mid-West bridge corridor at tonight’s council meeting.

Mr Weller said he would make a submission at the meeting calling on councillors to adopt a recommendation to defer their decision and request the Minister for Roads to formally seek approval from the Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation (YYNAC) to allow an investigation of the Mid-West Two corridor.

“I have already met with the Victorian Roads Minister Tim Pallas to discuss the merits of the Mid-West Two corridor and he has agreed to ask the Yorta Yorta to consider an investigation of that alternate option,” he said.

“With that in mind, I will be urging councillors to consider deferring tonight’s decision on the Mid-West corridor until such time as the Yorta Yorta have responded to that request.”

Mr Weller said the response to his newspaper and online poll regarding the Echuca-Moama Second River Crossing had been overwhelming.

He said 1007 people took part in the poll and 96% opposed the Mid-West corridor.

“39 people voted in favour of the Mid-West corridor which represents just 4% of respondents.

“In stark contrast, 767 people voted in support of an investigation of the Mid-West Two alignment which represents 76% of respondents.

“A further 201 people, or 20%, of those who took part in the poll voted against both the Mid-West and Mid-West Two alignments.”

Mr Weller said the results indicated that a very clear majority of respondents did not support the Mid-West option but would support an investigation of the Mid-West Two corridor.

“If council votes to support the Mid-West corridor tonight, we will lose the important opportunity to test the merits of this alternate alignment,” he said.

“However, if council deferred its decision on the Mid-West corridor it would allow time to ascertain the Yorta Yorta’s position on the Mid-West Two alignment.”

Mr Weller said the Mid-West Two option was a true compromised position of the community of Echuca-Moama and it was incumbent upon councillors, as representatives of the community, to find out whether it met the approval of the YYNAC.

“Tonight the council has two options,” he said.

“Succumb to pressure from the bureaucrats, or stand up and fight for the community.”