News / International
'Australia no better off than Zimbabwe'
14 Apr 2015 at 12:24hrs | Views
THE Australian opposition has compared Victoria's international financial reputation to that of Zimbabwe because of the dumped East West Link contract.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said the gravity of the situation was highlighted by complaints made to the Andrews Government by French and Spanish governments over the treatment of companies that have a stake in the $6.8 billion toll road.
"The East West issue is not just about cancelling a road project, it's about Victoria's international financial reputation," he said.
He said scrapping a signed contract with major investors had "trashed" the state's reputation.
"Here we are at the bottom of the rung, I mean we are no better off than Zimbabwe, we are no better than Venezuela in dealing with international companies," he said.
"Subsequently, we will suffer because there will be fewer jobs."
The Australian reported that France and Spain made direct complaints to the Victorian Government over its treatment of the tenderers - Bouygues and Acciona - for the Link project.
French ambassador Christophe Lecourtier and the Spanish embassy made a joint protest to the Andrews Government over the cancellation of the project.
France's Bouygues and Spain's Acciona were among the five members of the consortium awarded the contract to build the toll road project in the last weeks of the Napthine Coalition government.
"Given the cancellation of the East West Link project and the implication that this has for the French company Bouygues, I can confirm to you that I have been in contact with the Victorian government in order to find a way to resolve the situation," Mr Lecourtier told The Australian.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said the gravity of the situation was highlighted by complaints made to the Andrews Government by French and Spanish governments over the treatment of companies that have a stake in the $6.8 billion toll road.
"The East West issue is not just about cancelling a road project, it's about Victoria's international financial reputation," he said.
He said scrapping a signed contract with major investors had "trashed" the state's reputation.
"Here we are at the bottom of the rung, I mean we are no better off than Zimbabwe, we are no better than Venezuela in dealing with international companies," he said.
"Subsequently, we will suffer because there will be fewer jobs."
The Australian reported that France and Spain made direct complaints to the Victorian Government over its treatment of the tenderers - Bouygues and Acciona - for the Link project.
French ambassador Christophe Lecourtier and the Spanish embassy made a joint protest to the Andrews Government over the cancellation of the project.
France's Bouygues and Spain's Acciona were among the five members of the consortium awarded the contract to build the toll road project in the last weeks of the Napthine Coalition government.
"Given the cancellation of the East West Link project and the implication that this has for the French company Bouygues, I can confirm to you that I have been in contact with the Victorian government in order to find a way to resolve the situation," Mr Lecourtier told The Australian.
Source - heraldsun.com.au
