Linking Melbourne Authority (known as Southern and Eastern Integrated Transport Authority [SEITA] 2003-2010)

Full description

SEITA was an independent statutory authority specifically charged with the responsibility of directing and managing the delivery of the Mitcham Frankston Project, Australia's largest urban road project, to the public during 2008.

When the project commenced it was said to be the nation's largest private-public infrastructure project. The project was put up for tender. The tenders were assessed by SEITA. ConnectEast was the successful tenderer. It was intended that the project would deliver travel time savings, public transport initiatives, around 5000 jobs and bring forward economic growth by 10 years directly to the areas adjacent to the 40 kilometre route.

In the Act (section 4, Act No. 25/2003, p. 1082) the Project is defined as follows:

In this Act, a reference to the Project is a reference to the project for an integrated transport corridor connecting the Eastern Freeway to the Frankston Freeway including tunnels under the Mullum Mullum Creek and a link with the Ringwood By-Pass.

On 12 May 2009 the scope of SEITA was extended by Part 5 of the Transport Legislation Miscellaneous Amendments Act 2009, allowing the Minister to declare any project to be a road-related project; subsequently SEITA became known as the Linking Melbourne Authority (LMA) ahead of a formal change of name.

On 1 July 2010 the Southern and Eastern Integrated Transport Authority Act 2003 was repealed by section 202 of the Transport Integration Act 2010, which allowed for the continuation of the existing organisation under the name already in use, the Linking Melbourne Authority (LMA), now formally established as successor in law to SEITA under section 134 of the repealing Act. The new regime brought together the transport portfolio under one principal Act and sought to promote the provision of an integrated and sustainable transport system in Victoria.

On 7 January 2015 it was announced that the Linking Melbourne Authority was to be disbanded.  The Authority was abolished under section 313 of the Transport Legislation Amendment Act 2019 (49/2019) on 3 December 2019.