Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Benita Kolovos Victorian state correspondent

Victorian government secretly increased public transport fares to help pay for Suburban Rail Loop

A train approaches Clayton Metro station passing construction work for the Suburban Rail Loop East at Clayton in Melbourne
The Victorian auditor general’s report tabled in parliament on Wednesday says funding for the Suburban Rail Loop ‘is not transparent’. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Questions have been raised about Ben Carroll’s knowledge of a “secret tax” the Victorian government has slapped on public transport fares to help pay for the Suburban Rail Loop and other Big Build projects.

The existence of the levy was revealed in an auditor general report tabled in parliament on Wednesday, which also threw doubt on whether the first stage of the multibillion-dollar project – a 26km stretch of twin tunnels from Cheltenham to Box Hill dubbed SRL East – can be delivered on time or within budget.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.