Mr Joyce said he still backed the project, speaking on January 21 — but the costs had blown out dramatically to $1.2 billion.
“I want to build it, I don’t want to have to build at $1.2 billion, I want to find out why the cost is tripling,” Mr Joyce said.
“I have to be prudent, I want to do it but we have to be prudent with taxpayers’ money.”
Responding to the news of the project’s steep price tag, Mr Priestly called for the Federal Government to provide answers to Goulburn Valley communities.
“All we read in the newspaper ... from Barnaby Joyce was more excuses about why the project hasn’t progressed, not how he’s going to get it done,” Mr Priestly said.
“The one good thing from Mr Joyce’s comments is that a government minister has finally acknowledged that our community needs this bypass and we’re unhappy with its lack of progress.
“His belated response follows our campaign calling for details of the business case to be released earlier this week, and goes to show the value of an independent candidate making this seat a contest.”
Mr Priestly said Mr Joyce’s comments demonstrated the deputy prime minister and Nationals leader was not genuinely interested in finding a solution.
“Barnaby Joyce only seems interested in managing a political problem now there is competition for this seat, not getting the bypass built,” he said.
“Just talking about the cost and wondering why it’s higher than he thought it would be is not good enough.
“The business case has been sitting on his desk for almost a year and he seems to have not picked up the phone with Victoria to find out why it is more expensive than he’d hoped. Why?
“Why hasn’t he reached out to the Victorian Government? Why hasn’t he released the business case so the community can understand whether the impediments he claims are real or not?
“Is that the approach of someone who really wants this project to happen, or just wants to get into a tit for tat argument with Victoria before the election?”
Mr Priestly said it was time to stop playing games with the project.
“I’m calling on the Federal Coalition and Victorian Labor governments to put politics aside and get on with delivering this crucial project for our region,” he said.
