Hastings not a done deal says Labor
Up to six possible locations for an international container port are being considered for Australia’s Victoria, the state’s opposition Labor Party says.
The shadow minister for ports Natalie Hutchins has said that if Labor is elected on November 29, it would create an independent body, Infrastructure Victoria, to analyse and assess decisions such the site for the next container port.
She said that a port in the outer west could be used as a “key part of a supply chain system for the whole of the state”, arguing that a Bay West option would have a lot of strong landside advantages – access to standard rail gauge, access to a national freight network, access to regional cities, and excellent road connections with motorways.
In reply, ports minister David Hodgett said that Hastings was a better option for Victoria’s next international container port. An expansion of the existing port facilities could be achieved to accommodate vessels of over 8000 teu.
