[Greens-Media] EES report on Frankston Bypass ignores public transport and sustainability issues - Sue Pennicuik MLC

[Susan.Pennicuik at parliament.vic.gov.au]

EES report on Frankston Bypass ignores public transport and sustainability 
issues
 
Greens spokesperson for Roads and Ports and member for Southern 
Metropolitan Region, Sue Pennicuik said today that the final EES1 report 
on the Frankston Bypass, released this week, was part of an orchestrated 
attempt by Roads Minister, Tim Pallas to rush through the approvals 
process. The government is simply going through the motions rather than 
making a genuine attempt to consider future transport options for 
Frankston and the Southern Mornington Peninsula.

"The EES process has been flawed from the outset when the consideration of 
public transport and other road upgrade options were excluded from the 
study. The 30 different road options initially under consideration were 
reduced to just three solely on advice from the project proponent SEITA2. 
Unsurprisingly the remaining options all propose to build the Bypass in 
full or a major component part", said Ms Pennicuik. 

"Throughout the whole EES process local community groups have been telling 
me that there has been little consultation with them and we now find out 
that with the report finally released on the 10th of November, only 5 
weeks have been allowed for community members to digest more than 800 
pages of technical data and write submissions before a closing date of the 
19th of December. This is all being done to meet a government imposed 
timetable to approve the Bypass by the end of March 2009", she said.

"This is the same tactic the government has used with EES processes for 
channel deepening and the desalination plant - bombard the community with 
reams of technical information and allow the shortest possible time for 
people to respond. There is no credibility left in the EES process in 
Victoria", she said.

"The Bypass project, like the channel deepening of Port Phillip Bay, is 
being pushed by a collection of special interests. What is being totally 
ignored are the real transport needs of the people of Frankston and the 
Southern Peninsula", she said.

"I have asked the Roads Minister if he has conducted a full cost benefit 
analysis of the project, including public transport options or other road 
upgrades. If as I suspect, he hasn't I shall be calling on him to do so 
before any final approval for this project is given. Without this 
information, Victorians can have no confidence that the Frankston Bypass 
is the best option on which to spend public money," said Ms Pennicuik.