Thursday, 29 August 2024

Suburban Rail Loop

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:16): My question is to the Premier. The Premier has previously said that she does not ‘cut and run’. Why is the Premier cutting and running on the Suburban Rail Loop?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:17): I am absolutely delighted that our government is getting on and delivering the Suburban Rail Loop. The Leader of the Opposition might be desperate at every twist and turn to distract everyone’s attention from that big date in September. It is not Up There Cazaly; it is 16 September.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is debating the question.

The SPEAKER: The Premier will come back to the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: I was asked about our government delivering the Suburban Rail Loop, and I am delighted to inform the Leader of the Opposition, the house and the Victorian community that our government will absolutely honour our commitment to the Victorian community to deliver the Suburban Rail Loop.

I had a great conversation yesterday with my colleagues the member for Ashwood and the member for Glen Waverley. We spoke about how the local communities in their electorates are looking forward to the delivery of the Suburban Rail Loop, because they understand why it is so important. It is important because, if you want to go to Deakin University in Burwood or you want to go to Monash University in Clayton, you currently cannot catch a train to those really important education institutions, those really important centres of learning, centres of opportunity and places where tens of thousands of people go to work every single day.

When it comes to Monash University, it is our nation’s largest research institute. That centre, that precinct around Monash University, does not just have a university; it has got a synchrotron, it has got Moderna, it is close to the heart hospital and it has got a big manufacturing precinct. You cannot currently get a train to this big and busy and important part of not just Melbourne and Victoria’s economy but our state’s economy. We know that whether you are a worker or a student or a healthcare professional, if you can catch a train to your place of work –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is required to be direct in dealing with the question and relevant to it. The Premier is straying very far from the question.

The SPEAKER: The Premier answered the question directly at the commencement of her response. She is being relevant.

Jacinta ALLAN: We know that people want to be able to have the choice of using public transport to get to a place like Monash University, and the Suburban Rail Loop is going to deliver exactly that. But even more than that, around the six station locations of the Suburban Rail Loop East we have the opportunity to deliver 70,000 homes for Victorians close to public transport, close to jobs and close to services, exactly the places we know where Victorians want to live. That is why investing in the Suburban Rail Loop is an investment in our city, our state and our nation’s economy that we simply cannot afford not to build, and we are absolutely determined to get on and build it.

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:21): Last Thursday the Premier said:

… when it comes to delivering the Suburban Rail Loop this is a project that the state simply cannot afford not to build.

Is this still government policy?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:21): The answer is absolutely yes. I draw the Leader of the Opposition’s attention to the business case that was released in August 2021 that demonstrated that we simply cannot afford not to build the Suburban Rail Loop. I hope in the last two questions the Leader of the Opposition has this week that he continues to ask me about the Suburban Rail Loop. I hope in his last questions in question time for this month, maybe for the year – who knows what is coming up in September – he continues to ask me questions about the Suburban Rail Loop, because we are absolutely proud of our investment in infrastructure projects that are creating jobs right now. I tell you what, when you build nothing, like those opposite did when they were in government, you send the economy backwards and you take people out of work.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier was debating the question.

The SPEAKER: The Premier has concluded her answer.