Thursday, 6 February 2025

Wyndham Vale train services

Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:19): My question is to the Premier. Residents have been waiting for seven long years for Labor to deliver their promise to electrify the railway line to Wyndham Vale. How will residents of Wyndham Vale benefit from building the Suburban Rail Loop instead of electrifying their railway line?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:20): I am very pleased to have the opportunity to talk about this government’s investment in public transport in heavy rail in this state, because when it comes to investing in rail –

Members interjecting.

Jacinta ALLAN: Cue the outrage.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Member for Bulleen!

Jacinta ALLAN: The good guy? Is that you talking about yourself? Goodness me, someone has got to talk you up, mate. Of course we are investing in rail right around the state. When you look at the Metro Tunnel, which is going to open up this year – not a dollar from federal Liberal governments in this project –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! I am having trouble hearing the Premier, member for Bulleen. You have been warned twice now.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is debating the question. It was specific to Wyndham Vale residents. Could you please ask the Premier to come back to answering that very narrow question.

Mary-Anne Thomas: Speaker, there is no point of order. The Premier was being entirely relevant to the question that was asked of her, which was about our government’s investment in rail, and I ask that you rule the point of order out of order and let the Premier get on with answering the question.

The SPEAKER: The Premier has had 1 minute; she has got another 2. The Premier will be mindful of the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: Of course the interjections from those opposite underline how they just do not understand how investing in and building the Metro Tunnel unlocks the capacity to deliver more train services. We have been delivering the Metro Tunnel, opposed time and time and time again by those opposite. But, guess what, it is opening this year. Then what we have also been doing when it comes to train services for Wyndham –

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is defying your ruling to come back to answering that very specific question, which is about Wyndham Vale residents and the Wyndham Vale rail line.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On the point of order, Speaker, it is abundantly clear that the Manager of Opposition Business did not listen to your ruling, which was indeed that the Premier had had 1 minute on her feet and was being relevant to the question.

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

Jacinta ALLAN: Of course when it comes to delivering more services, more trains and upgrading track for the Wyndham Vale communities and those who are along that corridor, including – I think the member for Tarneit might have left the chamber yesterday, but I was going to talk about the new station we are building along the corridor – we are doing two things. We are investing in the corridor itself, which is why we are adding 50 per cent capacity to the Wyndham Vale line – because we have put bigger trains and upgraded the stations along the corridor. The second thing we are doing is of course untangling and working around Sunshine station, because to get more train services through, to do the works, we have to address the Sunshine station junction. These are works and a sequence of investments that are underway.

But of course when some have the opportunity to invest in rail, they privatise and close it. They buy trains from overseas and do not invest in the local network. We are undertaking a sequence of investments that are delivering improvements to Wyndham Vale –

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, question time is an opportunity for the Premier to answer the question and not attack the opposition. I would ask you to request –

The SPEAKER: The Premier did not refer to the opposition. The Premier has concluded her answer.

Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:24): Premier, when will the residents of Wyndham Vale have their railway line electrified?

David Hodgett interjected.

The SPEAKER: The member for Croydon can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Croydon withdrew from chamber.

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:25): Clearly the Leader of the Opposition is all about the question and not about the answer, because I just went through that. In order to upgrade the network, you have to undertake a sequence of investments, and that is exactly what we are doing.

Members interjecting.

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

Member for Bulleen withdrew from chamber.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, it was a very, very narrow question: when will the Wyndham Vale line be electrified?

The SPEAKER: The Premier was addressing the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: As part of that sequence of investments we are adding extra services, including those extra services that started in December of last year, because I know from talking to passengers that people want to see those extra services, which is what we are delivering.

Members interjecting.

Jacinta ALLAN: We delivered them in December last year, for the benefit, again, of those opposite. We will see the opening of the Metro Tunnel, which is going to provide additional capacity across the network. Of course those opposite opposed the Metro Tunnel every step of the way and indeed threw it on the scrap heap when they had the opportunity in government to invest in rail.