Tuesday, 1 April 2025

Questions without notice and ministers statements

Suburban Rail Loop

Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:01): My question is to the Premier. At Senate estimates last week, in response to questions about the Suburban Rail Loop, Infrastructure Australia said lack of detail on timing and amount of value capture raised doubts about whether the project could be funded. How can Victorians trust that the government can fund this project when the Premier cannot even answer these basic questions?

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Members will be removed from the chamber without warning.

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:02): I am absolutely delighted to receive this question from the Leader of the Opposition. Is this a question from the Leader of the Opposition here in Victoria, or did you get your riding instructions from Queensland on this question as well? The Leader of the Opposition referred to Infrastructure Australia, and I say this to the house: Infrastructure Australia have had a bit to say about the Suburban Rail Loop. It has been on their priority list since 2022. Further to that, Infrastructure Australia also said that this project presents significant opportunities for Victorians living in the middle and outer suburbs to get better transport connections to universities, to hospitals and to jobs. Infrastructure Australia also noted that it will facilitate more housing. For the same reasons that Infrastructure Australia identified this project as a priority, so has my government and so have Victorians.

Members interjecting.

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

Member for Point Cook withdrew from chamber.

Brad Battin: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the question was very specific about the funding. How can the Premier guarantee this funding? She is not working with Infrastructure Australia. There is a lack of detail to Infrastructure Australia. What is she doing to fund this project?

The SPEAKER: A point of order is not an opportunity to repeat the question.

Mary-Anne Thomas: Speaker, there is no point of order. I ask that you rule the Leader of the Opposition out of order. The Premier has been on her feet just over 40 seconds. She has been entirely relevant to the question.

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

Jacinta ALLAN: We are of course working with Infrastructure Australia. We are working with a federal Labor government that knows where Victoria is on a map and, better than that, is backing the projects that Victorians want and need, whether it is the Suburban Rail Loop, the Melbourne Airport project, the North East Link Program, suburban roads that are being invested in –

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is debating the question. It was about detail and timing of value capture, and I ask that the Premier come back to that very narrow question.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order. The Premier was being relevant.

Jacinta ALLAN: I thank the Manager of Opposition Business for the spoiler alert for the next question. I was asked about working with Infrastructure Australia, and that is exactly what we are doing, because Infrastructure Australia recommended that the Australian government –

Interjections from gallery.

The SPEAKER: Order! The house is suspended.

Sitting suspended 2:05 pm until 2:15 pm.

Jacinta ALLAN: To go back to where we were earlier, I was asked about working with Infrastructure Australia and the federal government on delivering the Suburban Rail Loop. I was about to say that of course I will be working Infrastructure Australia and my government will be working with Infrastructure Australia and a federal Labor government that is a partner in this project, because Infrastructure Australia recommended that the $2.2 billion in funding be released to Victoria. This is the same $2.2 billion that Peter Dutton’s Liberals are ripping out of Victoria. It might be April Fools’ Day, but this is no joke.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, this is an unfunded project. The question was: can Victorians trust the government to find the funding? I would ask you to ask the Premier to come back to that very narrow question.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was being relevant to the question that was asked.

Jacinta ALLAN: Of course Victorians have seen this movie before. I will say one thing: Peter Dutton has come clean and said to Victorians he will do it again. We will not get our fair share under a Liberal government, because you cannot trust them.

Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:16): With the Premier stating she is working with Infrastructure Australia, documents released under freedom of information show that Infrastructure Australia wrote to the Suburban Rail Loop Authority as recently as May 2024 seeking information first requested in 2022. How can the Premier claim her government is working with Infrastructure Australia while failing to provide the requested information for years?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:17): Hold the front page. We are working with Infrastructure Australia. I will tell you this: in 2021 when we released the business case I sent it to Infrastructure Australia. We have been working with Infrastructure Australia. And I will say this too: one of the reasons why we are continuing to work with Infrastructure Australia is that we did not get a look-in before May 2022. We did not get a look-in in Victoria before May 2022 because the door was firmly slammed shut by Peter Dutton and his Liberal government, who refused to give Victorians our fair share of infrastructure funding. I say this: I will fight for Victoria’s fair share, not take directions from Queensland, like the Leader of the Opposition.