SYDNEY, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Victoria state will receive less than a fifth of the Australian Federal infrastructure funding being allocated to New South Wales (NSW) over the next four years, it was revealed Wednesday.
NSW will receive a total of 12.74 billion U.S. dollars for infrastructure over the next four years, including funds for a new airport, from the federal government while Victoria will receive just 2.3 billion dollars over the same period.
The revelation of the disproportionate funding came as Victoria's Treasurer Tim Pallas launched an attack on Victoria "being abused in terms of the contribution that the Commonwealth is making to this state" while delivering the state budget for the next 12 months.
Pallas said the federal government, led by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, "has made a very clear decision not to invest in anything that this state government believes is a priority for the people of Victoria."
The gap in funding between NSW and Victoria came despite Victoria being Australia's fastest growing state with Melbourne expected to overtake Sydney as the country's largest city by 2030.
Turnbull and Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews have had a fractured relationship since Andrews spent 900 million dollars cancelling the East-West Link, a major road project proposed by the former Victorian Liberal government.
"We're spending 20 percent of our total budget on road funding in Victoria. The real problem in Victoria is the state government," Turnbull told Australian breakfast television on Wednesday.
"Remember they paid (900 million dollars) not building the East-West Link. They tore up that contract."
"We're prepared to look at commitments to other big projects in Victoria," Turnbull added.
