The Making and Unmaking of East-West Link by James C Murphy

The Making and Unmaking of East-West Link by James C Murphy

Melbourne's aborted East–West Link — the massive, multi-billion-dollar inner-city toll road project that promised to knit Melbourne closer together — was stymied from the start. Intense picketing and protests, multiple court challenges, breathless media coverage and bitter politicking consumed the Victorian parliament for some years. The Link brought the downfall of the single-term Baillieu–Napthine Liberal government; its cancellation cost the state half a billion dollars; and it lives on in infamy, a byword in the Australian lexicon for political brinkmanship, waste and politicisation of infrastructure. But where did this notorious megaproject come from, and what explains its fate? Was it a project hand-picked by state premiers for party-political reasons and mismanaged by bureaucrats? Was it foisted on the government by cunning roads chiefs, unprepared for the public backlash? Or was it simply that opponents of the project succeeded by turning it into an election issue? In The Making and Unmaking of East–West Link, James Murphy explores the saga from competing vantage points, detailing the layers of politics that saturate infrastructure policymaking in Australia.

In the political showdown over East–West Link, two visions of Melbourne’s future collidedIn this absorbing study, based on previously untapped archival sources and interviews with the leading players, James Murphy brilliantly relates the rise and dramatic fall of the city’s most ambitious highway project. With a forensic eye, he dissects the roles played by political leaders, technocrats and grassroots activists. A story of clashing ideologies, rival ambitions and political brinkmanship, it shows in compelling detail how the politics of infrastructure now shapes the fate of governments and the future of our cities.” —GRAEME DAVISON

James C Murphy lectures in politics and public policy at the University of Melbourne. His writing on Australian politics and history has appeared in The Canberra Times, The Conversation, and regularly in Inside Story.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780522878363
ISBN 10	0522878369
Title	The Making and Unmaking of East-West Link
Author	James C Murphy
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Melbourne University Press
Year published	2022-07-05
Number of pages	240
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable