Union will run public transport, under Labor VICTORIANS have been warned that the militant Rail Tram and Bus Union would run the state's public transport under a future Labor state government. Education and the building of new schools have emerged as an early issue of the Victorian state election. Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder made the prediction during a wide ranging transport policy debate with opposite number Jill Hennessy at the Melbourne Press Club today. "Believe you me, come November 29, if a Labor government is elected the incoming Public Transport Minister will, as has been the case in the past, take their directions from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union," Mr Mulder said. That's the way it's always been and that's the way it's going to be in the future. We know in the past, trains being pulled off the network for a cracked lens so work can be carried out during the day. Transport Minister Terry Mulder says a Labor government would "take their directions from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union." Picture: Susan Windmiller A lot of that work is now done at night which has led to an improvement in the way our rail network actually works. Mr Mulder also lashed out at Labor's proposal to introduce a new Infrastructure Victoria body to oversee major projects, saying it would cause more unnecessary red tape. "Infrastructure Victoria - an animal of a future Labor government - will be stacked with Labor cronies," he said. We don't need Infrastructure Victoria, or Infrastructure Australia - who on earth is going to make decisions? We are a government elected by the people of Victoria to make decisions and we're making them. Ms Hennessy said she was surprised by Mr Mulder's stinging attack on Infrastructure Australia. "Let's just have a look at where we have significant investment in heavy rail and transport projects and that's in New South Wales under a Liberal government," she said. We have Infrastructure New South Wales and I don't think for a minute the minister would suggest that the New South Wales government is botching up its transport agenda. The only reason I can surmise that the minister might not so enamoured by the model is that Infrastructure Australia identified Melbourne Metro Rail as this state's number one infrastructure priority. We want to ensure that we've got an independent body that can identify future transport priorities along with other future infrastructure priorities and ensure that we stop having four year debates about what our priorities are. Our infrastructure deficit will never be reduced unless we start taking the politics out of the priority setting. Originally published as Union will run public transport: Libs