The Victorian premier, Ben Carroll, has announced he will scrap a levy on public transport users the government secretly introduced to help pay for the Suburban Rail Loop.
The report into the first stage of the SRL – from Cheltenham to Box Hill – revealed the government added a 1% levy on public transport fares on top of existing adjustments in line with inflation on 1 January 2025 but did not inform Victorians.
The auditor general said 60% of the revenue earned was meant go to SRL East but the levy was not been named as one of the government’s value capture methods for the project.
Speaking outside parliament, Carroll told reporters:
double quotation markI am a premier who levels with Victorians, and I’m going to level with Victorians today. I will abolish the rail improvement charge. There’ll be a proper cabinet process to come, but it’s my intention and the treasurer’s intention to abolish that charge. I’m a premier taking the state in a new direction. Victorians do deserve better public transport. They also deserve to know what their money is buying.
Asked when he first knew about the levy, he said:
double quotation markThe way this charge was created and implemented, there was a lack of transparency. That is why today I’m announcing I will abolish it.
