Albanese slams 'beer coaster' Tas policy FEDERAL Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese has attacked the coalition's "beer coaster" policies for Tasmania. Mr Albanese has slammed opposition leader Tony Abbott's $400 million pledge to duplicate the Midlands Highway between Hobart and Launceston as a "fantasy." The federal government allocated $500 million to improve the notorious road in its recent budget, and Mr Albanese says it would cost $2.7 billion to fully duplicate it. "He's got to actually have fully costed real policies that will make a real difference, not fantasies done on the back of a beer coaster by some bloke he met somewhere," he said. He said 'I talked to someone who said it could be done for $400 million'. He's been promising this absolute nonsense for three-and-a-half years. Opposition infrastructure spokesman Warren Truss has been contacted for comment. Mr Albanese announced $2 million of the government's allocation would be spent on planning a Launceston bypass to take trucks out of the city's streets. He was speaking as the first sod was turned on the $30 million redevelopment of Hobart's cricket ground, Bellerive. A new 4500-seat western grandstand will allow the ground to host World Cup matches in 2014-15. The minister was also meeting with the taskforce deciding how to spend $100 million fast-tracked to the state for jobs-boosting projects following the state's historic forestry peace agreement. He highlighted agriculture, wine and the creative industries as potential growth areas for the state, which has Australia's highest unemployment rate at over seven per cent. A further $3.5 million will go towards a creative arts building in Hobart's north. Mr Albanese said the Gillard government's commitments to Tasmania had left him feeling confident the ALP could hold onto its four seats in the state at the federal election. " (Mr Abbott) produced a discussion paper," he said. It didn't have a dollar next to it.