Wednesday, 27 November 2024

Suburban Rail Loop

David SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (14:14): My question is to the Premier. Senior Labor ministers and MPs have leaked their frustrations and concerns about the Suburban Rail Loop East. One Labor MP told the media that the main gripe was that it was sucking out all of the state budget funding. Why is the Premier committing billions of dollars to the Suburban Rail Loop East when even her own Labor colleagues think that this is a project that Victoria cannot afford?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:15): I thank the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party for the opportunity to once again answer his question about: why are we delivering the Suburban Rail Loop? Because it is the project that Victorians need; it is the project that Victorians want. I remind the Deputy Leader of the Opposition that this is a question put to the Victorian community at the last two state elections, and that choice was made very, very clear at the last two state elections. You could vote for a Labor government and vote for the Suburban Rail Loop, or you could vote for those who oppose the Suburban Rail Loop. Victorians chose the Suburban Rail Loop. Victorians –

Members interjecting.

Jacinta ALLAN: Settle down. He is very excitable today. Are you okay? There was a very clear choice and we were presented with the community saying, ‘Get on and deliver this project,’ and that is exactly what we are doing. We are getting on and delivering the Suburban Rail Loop, alongside the delivery of six new station locations and the delivery of a train line to Monash University, Australia’s largest university without a train line, something that has been talked about for decades. The Suburban Rail Loop East will deliver a train line to Monash University, and Monash University just last week reinforced their support for this project because they understand the importance of having their university connected to the train network, just like Victorians do.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Geelong can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Geelong withdrew from chamber.

The SPEAKER: At this rate there will be no-one left in the chamber by the end of question time.

David Southwick: Speaker, my point of order is on relevance. Why is the Premier ignoring her backbench, who clearly say this is a project that Victorians cannot afford.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was being relevant, but I do remind the Premier of the original question.

Jacinta ALLAN: Perhaps the Deputy Leader of the Opposition was too busy interjecting and missed that I said directly: why are we getting on and delivering the Suburban Rail Loop? Because Victorians want us and need us to get on and deliver the Suburban Rail Loop project. As I was saying, not only is this a vitally important transport project, it is Australia’s largest housing project, as we have the opportunity –

John Pesutto interjected.

The SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, I ask you to cease interjecting across the table. It is becoming a little tiresome.

Jacinta ALLAN: It is Australia’s largest housing project, providing the space for 70,000 more homes –

David Southwick: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, again the Premier is ignoring the earlier ruling. This has got nothing to do with housing. There was no mention of housing in the question. This is about the Premier ignoring her backbench.

The SPEAKER: Order! A point of order is not an opportunity to make a statement to the house, nor is it an opportunity to repeat the question. The Premier was being relevant, but I again remind the Premier about the question. I cannot compel the Premier how to answer a question.

Jacinta ALLAN: For the third time, for the benefit of the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the answer to why we are building the Suburban Rail Loop is because Victorians want and need us to get on and deliver the Suburban Rail Loop and deliver the 70,000 more homes, deliver the train line to Monash University and to Deakin University in Burwood and deliver the vital connections that Victorians deserve to have.

David SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (14:20): According to Labor MPs, at a caucus meeting earlier this month in the face of objections from some of her colleagues, which have now leaked, the Premier doubled down on the Suburban Rail Loop East and demanded these MPs get on board. Why is the Premier stubbornly proceeding with the Suburban Rail Loop when even her own colleagues do not support it?

Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Speaker, the question raised by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition is purely hypothetical. It is based on gossip and has no foundation in fact, and I ask that you rule it out of order.

James Newbury: On the point of order, Speaker, the question is specifically: why is the Premier stubbornly proceeding with the Suburban Rail Loop when even her colleagues do not support it? That is a very clear question. I am sure the Premier can answer it.

The SPEAKER: The supplementary question relates to the first question. I will allow the question. I will allow the Premier to answer.

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:21): I did say earlier to the Leader of the Opposition that he could ask me all day, every day about my electorate. I will correct myself. You can also ask me all day, every day about the Suburban Rail Loop, because this is such a vitally important project. And for the fourth time across both the supplementary and the substantive question, the answer to why we are getting on and delivering the Suburban Rail Loop, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, is that it is the project that Victorians need and want. Melbourne is already the nation’s biggest city; Monash University is the nation’s largest university. It needs a train line. Do you know why it needs a train line? Because those students who want to study the course of their dreams from across the state need to have the option of being able to get there on a train, because that enables them to achieve their dreams and hopes, and that is what the Suburban Rail Loop delivers.