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The main political parties have been true to form in the lead-up to the federal election, pledging billions of dollars to transport projects that lack full business cases or have yet to be assessed as priorities.
And they have promised to funnel the greatest proportion of money – almost $4 billion – to Queensland, the state where the election is likely to be won or lost.
An analysis by the Grattan Institute has found the Coalition, Labor and the Greens have made big commitments to transport infrastructure that "not only lack proper business cases but are not even on the Infrastructure Australia priority list at all".
"It turns out that all parties have ignored or shunned projects that we know to be worth doing," Grattan transport director Marion Terrill said.
"Come election time, voters could be forgiven for seeing transport infrastructure as a slush fund."
The respected think tank found a lack of consensus between the parties on where taxpayer money for transport should go. There is not a single project that all three parties have promised to build.
Labor has promised the most for transport infrastructure at $6.7 billion, followed by the Greens at $6.5 billion and the Coalition at $5.4 billion.
"The Coalition's spending is more aligned with the projects we know to be worth doing than the other parties', and Labor's is slightly better aligned than the Greens'," Ms Terrill said.
In NSW, the three parties have pledged a combined $3.4 billion for the country's most populous state, which trails Victoria at $3.9 billion.
The Coalition has committed to $1.7 billion in federal funding for Sydney's metro rail line, and $3.5 billion in direct funding and loans for the WestConnex motorway.
Despite Labor's transport spokesman, Anthony Albanese, vowing last month not to commit more money, Labor has said it will honour the Commonwealth's funding commitment for WestConnex, a project the Greens oppose outright.
One of Labor's major promises in NSW this election has been $400 million for a rail line running north to south in western Sydney and linking to the new airport at Badgerys Creek. However, it would be a drop in the ocean for a rail line that industry insiders believe would cost $8 billion-plus.
The Coalition has pledged $114 million for planning and preparation work for the new airport at Badgerys Creek, while announcing a grand "City Deal" for western Sydney that was short on specifics.
In Victoria, the big-ticket item this election has been the Melbourne Metro rail. The Coalition have pledged $860 million and Labor $1.2 billion for the project.
A recent report by the Grattan Institute found too much taxpayer money had been "spent on the wrong projects in the wrong places" over the past decade, a period that marked the highest levels of spending on transport infrastructure in Australian history.
In its latest assessment, the institute found history was repeating itself and singled out for a "dishonourable mention" the Coalition's promise to duplicate the Princes Highway from Winchelsea to Colac in Victoria.
The highway runs through the increasingly marginal federal seat of Corangamite.
