Shipping and transport industry experts joined the State Opposition today visiting several possible sites for Victoria’s future container port, Bay West.

Shadow Minister for Ports, Major Projects and Infrastructure Tim Pallas said the tour was vital to investigate the best possible location for Melbourne’s future port to ensure economic and jobs growth into the future.

Mr Pallas said the BayWestPortsite investigation was part of Victorian Labor’s Plan for Jobs Growth policy announced last month by Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews.

“Victorian Labor has a plan to grow Melbourne’s economy and create jobs and this site investigation will include a comprehensive and transparent cost benefit analysis,” Mr Pallas said.

“What is clear is that industry believes a Bay West location for the State’s second container port is significantly more beneficial and provides easier access to their markets than that of the Baillieu Government’s Hastings proposal.

“Labor will investigate how Bay West stands up against other possible sites, including Hastings.

“Bay West has a number of advantages over Hastingsincluding availability of land, access to major arterial roads and standard gauge national freight network and potentially unlimited berth capacity.”

Mr Pallas said a number of reports had already supported locating a new port between Little River and Point Wilson because of cost advantages it has over Hastings which lacks a standard gauge rail link.

“Ernst and Young estimated the cost of a port at Bay West was approximately half of that required to expand the Port of Hastings,” Mr Pallas said.

“The Baillieu Government and Ports Minister Dennis Napthine refuse to consider an alternative to Hastings and instead Victorians’ could end up paying billions more for a Baillieu Government port that is less effective.

“Labor is getting on with the job of planning for the state’s future while the Baillieu Government is dragging the state’s fortunes backwards.”