Wednesday, 28 August 2024

Metro Tunnel

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:08): My question is to the Premier. Electromagnetic interference from the Metro Tunnel is forcing the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre to transfer their inpatients to other hospitals for MRIs. Why should these cancer patients suffer pain and disruption to their treatment because of Labor’s failure to manage the Metro Tunnel project?

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Transport Infrastructure is warned.

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:08): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question because it gives me an opportunity at the outset to make it absolutely clear that as we get on and deliver the transformational Metro Tunnel project, which will deliver heavy rail services into the Parkville precinct for the very first time, providing better connectivity for patients and for staff, there has not been any impact on patient care during the period of construction, and now the testing phase, which we are in –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, this was a very specific question and the Premier has had an opportunity to provide some background, but I would ask you to bring her back to the specific question.

The SPEAKER: I ask the Manager of Opposition Business to be succinct in his points of order.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On the point of order, there is no point of order. The Premier was being relevant and responsive to the question. The fact that the Manager of Opposition Business is too busy thinking about his next stunt and point of order –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Brighton! The Premier was being relevant in that she was referring to patients at the hospital and she was also referring to interference from the Metro Tunnel.

Jacinta ALLAN: We are at the stage of this exciting and transformational project where we are having test trains running tens of thousands of kilometres through the brand new 9-kilometre twin tunnels, and we are at this stage of the project because our government has been determined to deliver the Metro Tunnel project.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Eildon is warned.

John Pesutto: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the issue we are trying to address is that cancer patients at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre have to be transferred to another hospital for their MRIs and then brought back to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Can I ask you to draw the Premier back so she can address that fundamental issue.

The SPEAKER: The question referred to why cancer patients are having disruption to their treatment. I believe the Premier was being relevant to the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: Of course when you deliver transformational projects of the size and the complexity of the Metro Tunnel, you have to work very closely with those institutions that will benefit from the delivery of the Metro Tunnel, and we have been. I want to thank the hospitals, the universities and the research institutes that sit within the Parkville precinct for the way they have worked with the project deliverers of the Metro Tunnel, because it will deliver improved services for the precinct. As part of that, we are at the tunnel-testing phase, the train-testing phase, and we have had something like 15,000 kilometres of train testing undertaken –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Polwarth is warned. Minister for Transport Infrastructure, this is your second warning.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, this question went to disruptions to cancer patients. The Premier has not addressed that fundamental part of the question, and I would ask you to bring her to the question rather than discussing the matter generally.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was answering the question as it referred to the Metro Tunnel project. I believe she was going to answer the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: As the question went to the delivery of the Metro Tunnel and how we were working in with the services delivered in the Parkville precinct, I was making the point that as part of the train-testing process we do need to consider how we can continue to support the hospital services that are delivered. And I repeat, as I said at the outset of my answer, that there has been no impact to patient care. Indeed what we have done is put additional supports into particularly the Royal Melbourne and Royal Women’s hospitals so that they can be treated in those institutions.

Of course when you are delivering transformational projects like this, you have to work in a methodical way to deliver the projects, and we are doing it in a way that does not compromise patient care. Those opposite abandoned this program with an interest neither in patient care nor in train services for our state. We are determined to deliver this project. It will transform the way people move in and out of the Parkville precinct – patients, healthcare workers, cleaners, students, workers – and that is why we are absolutely determined to deliver the Metro Tunnel and work with our project partners to see this project realised, which they totally abandoned.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Croydon is warned.

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:14): The Premier is willing to spend at least an additional $888 million on undisclosed project disputes on the Metro Tunnel. Will this additional funding ensure that cancer patients can receive MRI scans at Peter Mac?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:14): I repeat, as I said at the outset, that we are focused on supporting patient care while we get on and deliver the Metro Tunnel project. We are continuing to work with our construction partners on both the delivery of the project –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the Premier is being evasive. In two questions the Premier has evaded answering the question, and I would ask you to bring the Premier back to the question.

The SPEAKER: A point of order is not an opportunity to have a view on the answer to the question; it is to raise a point of order on relevance or debating the question or the answer. I think the Premier has only just commenced her answer. I will say that she is being relevant for the moment.

Jacinta ALLAN: As I was saying, we will continue to work with our construction partners to deliver this transformational project, a project that will transform the way people travel around our city and state and also a project that will be delivered a full year ahead of schedule.