This editorial takes a strong stance for more clarity when the government of Victoria enters into public-private partnerships, especially about public funding that is involved. One project, the Royal Children’s Hospital, was actually indirectly funded by the government since they were the primary buyer of the $1.4 billion bonds issued by the project consortium. The primary concern with this arrangement is the lack of public disclosure as there was no mention of this government financing either when the contracts were signed or at any point during the project. While it notes that this not direct public funding, it’s not tax revenue, however it claims that it is a stretch to call it purely private funding as the government has claimed.
