Wednesday, 5 February 2025

Western suburbs infrastructure

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (14:32): I move:

That this house notes:

(1) the resignation of the Honourable Tim Pallas, former Treasurer, as the member for Werribee;

(2) the by-election is to be held in Werribee on 8 February 2025;

(3) that Labor has taken Werribee and other western Melbourne seats for granted for too long, failing to provide adequate infrastructure given the massive population growth, including:

(a) electrifying lines to Wyndham Vale, despite promising to do so;

(b) neglecting Werribee’s bus network, which will suffer another blow after manufacturers were banned by Labor from ordering replacement diesel buses;

(c) building adequate road infrastructure, forcing the growing local community to wait endlessly in traffic;

(d) the Suburban Rail Loop West, which has no estimated construction and completion dates and is simply a cynical ploy by Labor to string along the long-suffering people of the west;

and calls on the Labor government to finally prioritise the people of Werribee over Premier Jacinta Allan’s Suburban Rail Loop.

I am delighted to speak on this motion today in my name, motion 791, on how Labor has taken Werribee for granted – I think there is no question about that – not just Werribee but the entire western suburbs, and really offering an opportunity to go through a lot of the neglect that the western suburbs face. I have spent a good deal of my holidays actually in Werribee with my colleague Moira Deeming and with my colleague Trung Luu as well out in the western suburbs doorknocking, speaking to people, going to community events and attending listening posts with our fantastic candidate Steve Murphy. It is important to note the neglect that people feel in the western suburbs from road infrastructure. I want to point those opposite to election commitments at not one but two elections. In 2018 and 2022, with big fanfare, this Labor government promised the Western Rail Plan, which was designed to electrify the rail lines to Wyndham Vale and to Melton. It included extra stations; they are currently on a V/Line network.

A member interjected.

Evan MULHOLLAND: Yes, the people of Melton are desperately in need of it as well – electrifying the train lines. What we have after the election is a different story. After promising it at two elections, we have a broken promise. The Deputy Premier, probably future Premier, calls it an ‘evolving’ promise, because we know that the Western Rail Plan, along with Geelong fast rail, has been axed. It has been shelved – just say it. It is the people of Werribee that are paying the price for this government’s gross financial mismanagement. They say they do not have enough money, it is going to cost too much, they will have to blow up Sunshine station and start again. But unfortunately it is always the western suburbs, and in my case the northern suburbs as well, that miss out, because they have made a political equation when it comes to the Suburban Rail Loop. They have made a political equation that they need to stay in power through the eastern suburbs more than they do in the west, and ‘We can just neglect the west, because they’re always going to vote Labor.’

Well, the people in Werribee are sick of that attitude.

The SRL is a terrible project. We all get that; all the experts get that. But if there was any equity in the Suburban Road Loop, it would have actually started in Werribee. But no, it was dreamt up at tax-evasion city down the road at PwC in a locked room where not even the department secretary knew about it, and it was decided it would start at Cheltenham and go to Box Hill. They said in 2018 it was going to cost $50 billion for the whole thing, and now just SRL East and North are going to cost $216 billion. That is not me saying that, that is the independent Parliamentary Budget Office saying that. When this government mismanages the budget, which is heading towards $188 billion, about $25 million a day in interest just to service the debt – Ms Terpstra, that is over a million dollars per hour just to service the interest on this government’s debt – somebody has to pay for that, and time after time it is the people living in the growth areas that pay for that, because this government has made a political equation that it does not need to service the western suburbs of Melbourne.

Whether it be crime, whether it be cost of living, whether it be proper rail infrastructure, whether it be proper bus services to our growing areas, this government just does not care about the growth areas of Melbourne. It does not care about Werribee. Every time I knocked on a door, the comments were the same: ‘We get neglected; we’re a safe seat.’ I will tell you what, I was doorknocking the day of the government’s $300 million, $400 million announcement – during a by-election they have finally decided to spend money. I was doorknocking that day in Werribee, and to be honest it only made things worse, because the comments to me, the comments to Mr Luu and the comments to Mrs Deeming were: ‘We’ve had the Treasurer as the MP for the last decade, and we’ve got nothing.’ And now they want to come and promise everything, and now they want to change the bail laws, even though they were screaming about it, even though youth crime and crime are out of control in Werribee. ‘You’ve got to be kidding me’ is the response from many people. You cannot just play catch-up when there is a by-election. You have got to support our growing communities to provide the infrastructure as people are moving in, not decades afterwards, not making it so people have to spend ages in an emergency lane on a freeway just to get to their own neighbourhoods, not making it so people are spending half an hour to an hour just to get out of their own housing estates. This is the neglect we see from this government, and the people of Werribee are absolutely sick of it.

This motion presents an opportunity for this government to finally prioritise the people of Werribee over the Suburban Rail Loop, which they will not do, because MPs in the eastern suburbs have won the argument. The people of Werribee need to know that MPs on the Labor side in the eastern suburbs have won the argument on the Suburban Rail Loop. The Premier has no way to back out, because she was the Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop. She was also the Minister for Commonwealth Games Delivery. The former Premier backed out of that for her, but she feels she cannot back out of the Suburban Rail Loop, even though we know it is going to be an absolute disaster.

I think it is important to note what other Labor people are saying about this by-election and saying about what they are feeling. I will quote from the Age just a couple of weeks ago in January, where it says:

… Labor figures say they are bracing for a swing, aware that byelections tend to turn against incumbents, and voters are weary after being governed by the ALP for more than a decade …

“We know it’s going to be a difficult one to win …

And we know through the Herald Sun of 25 January that:

State Labor MPs have become increasingly anxious about affordability and viability of the SRL project as the state faces ballooning debt expected to reach $187.8bn by 2026–27.

They –

again it is from an anonymous source; we know it is probably Mr Galea, but it is an anonymous source –

consider the project a dead weight hampering the government’s ability to drive down debt and invest in key areas including health and education.

…

Sources close to the Premier –

this is definitely not Mr Galea –

… said the SRL was becoming harder to defend as a priority given the state’s widespread financial woes.

We know that the federal government wanted to prioritise the Suburban Rail Loop:

Two sources with knowledge of talks between the state and federal governments, who were not authorised to speak publicly, said Canberra had made clear its willingness to provide additional funds towards …

the airport rail. It seems the only one still asking for money for the SRL was the Premier, Jacinta Allan. We know there is pressure as well from our credit rating agencies about the SRL proceeding without federal government funding. We know that Labor MPs state and federal are concerned about the Allan government’s pushing ahead with the Suburban Rail Loop. As one federal Labor MP said to me, it is a lemon on steroids. Federal Labor know that the SRL is not the right project for this state at this time. We know from the Herald Sun in late October that a wide range of north and western suburbs ministers and MPs, including Deputy Premier Mr Carroll, have raised concerns about the affordability and viability of the project as the state faces ballooning debt. Well, we know after that comment and revelation Mr Carroll was forced, like a hostage video, to go out and say that he supported the Suburban Rail Loop, even though we know he does not. There is nothing in the Suburban Rail Loop for his constituents and the good people of the western suburbs.

Labor have taken the western suburbs for granted; we know this through rising crime. I mean, you only had to listen to the news headlines on 3AW this morning to hear about multiple carjackings, a police chase and youth crime, and the government in a very cynical ploy does nothing about it and then says, ‘Well, our bail laws must be too soft.’ Well, this government weakened our bail laws. They removed the offence of committing an indictable offence whilst on bail in March 2023 so that you would face a tougher test to get bail again. Then they cannot get a half backtrack but still weaken the bail laws. They blocked our attempts to reverse those changes, and I remember at the time – and I was sitting right in this place – Mr Galea said, in terms of us putting forward that bill to strengthen the bail laws again, that we were only interested in a Herald Sun headline and a news report on 3AW. Well, that is exactly what the Premier did yesterday – a Herald Sun headline, and it goes on 3AW, about a new review of our bail laws to keep Victorians safe. Now we find out today that it is not a review. Mr Carbines goes out, gives about a half-an-hour press conference saying, ‘Oh, it’s just a discussion. It’s an ongoing discussion.’ So you have got the Premier on one hand stating that it is going to be a formal review – does not give a timetable – and you have got a police minister who is asked to co-chair some sort of review process, saying it is not a review. This government are at odds with each other at every turn, and the people of Werribee have had enough.

I asked the Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop some pretty clear questions yesterday regarding SRL West. I asked her some pretty clear questions about what year the government expects the Suburban Rail Loop to get to Werribee, to reach Werribee. I think it was a pretty fair question. I have heard a lot from that side of the chamber about their housing statement, and in a recent bubble of activity towards the end of last year they produced a map of all the activity zones and all the SRL precinct zones. I found it curious on their map that they have included an SRL precinct zone in Werribee. Now, when are those homes going to be built, because the SRL East and the SRL North do not finish until 2052?

Presumably the earliest the SRL West could start is 2053. In fact I will go back to my question that I asked of Ms Shing. She said in response to that question that I have to read the business case. I actually did read the business case, and I found out what it says about SRL West. The fact of the matter is their business case says nothing about SRL West. In fact it specifically says:

SRL West from Melbourne Airport to Werribee will be subject to further investigation, planning and development.

And there is not currently a business and investment case for SRL West – there is not one. You do not know when it is actually going to get to Werribee. You have already included a precinct zone that you are going to gazette, but on earliest estimates it could not possibly get to Werribee until towards the end of this century. ‘Vote for us, Werribee. Vote for us this Saturday, and you are going to get a SRL station at the end of this century.’ Well, I will be dead. I will not be cutting the ribbon, neither will anyone on this side. Everyone will be six feet under, because the reality is that this government does not know what they are doing. They do not know what they are doing. They have also suggested in this business case by acknowledging that the SRL West does not exist that:

There is already billions of dollars of investment in rail projects in the West, including projects such as Metro Tunnel –

which we know is over budget –

… Airport Rail –

which we know has been delayed –

and the Western Rail Plan …

The Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop wants me to go and read about SRL West in a business plan that refers to the Western Rail Plan, which has been shelved after being promised at two elections for the good people of Werribee, Wyndham Vale and Melton to get electrified trains and new stations. They are still referring to it in their business and investment case. If you are Infrastructure Australia, you are thinking, ‘They’re investing in the Western Rail Plan,’ and then you look at their state budget and realise they are not, because they have consistently lied to the growth areas of Melbourne, and they have consistently prioritised the eastern suburbs of Melbourne with a massive Suburban Rail Loop. We know that there are about 7000 NDAs signed on the North East Link. You are going to have a shallower depth for the Suburban Rail Loop, more disruption. We have not even begun to scratch the surface when it comes to toxic soil removal, which presumably you will try to put out at Werribee as well, as is the habit of this government. Need a place to dump toxic soil? ‘Let’s go to Werribee.’ It has been consistently the case, with the people of Werribee being this government’s dumping ground.

We know that whether it is crime, whether it is the cost of living, whether it is infrastructure or whether it is just the state of the roads, this government has completely neglected the Werribee electorate. As I said, I have spent most of the last month, every second day, out in Werribee, whether it be at Hoppers Crossing gurudwara or the Rockbank temple, Western Gujju’s kite festival or a bunch of other community activities. People come up to me non-stop talking about the state of the roads, the lack of infrastructure, crime, the cost of living and the fact that they feel neglected and let down by this Labor government, who have frankly neglected the people of Werribee. They have left them behind. Only Steve Murphy will be able to fight for the electorate of Werribee. He has a long history in Werribee as a business owner and a former policeman. It has been great being out in the local community with Steve, because everyone knows him. I was at the Little River pub – a great place to visit if you are after a cheeky schooner – with Steve Murphy, and almost everyone in the pub knew him. There were people who he had sold their first home to.

He is a great candidate. He has been part of the community for decades. Even the federal Labor member gave him a community hero of the year award. Even the federal Labor member sees Steve Murphy as a community hero, because he is one.

Members interjecting.

Evan MULHOLLAND: He has been in Werribee through and through since John Lister was in nappies. He is the right person for Werribee. He is doing a great job. I am looking forward to being back out in Werribee on Friday, and I will be there on Saturday as well. Steve Murphy understands the community and understands the failings of this state government.

I will finish by saying this Labor government have a choice: they can either properly invest in the growth areas of Melbourne or they can continue along with the Suburban Rail Loop. You cannot have both. We know you cannot have both, because you have already backed out of the Western Rail Plan and Geelong fast rail.

Sonja Terpstra: We can have both.

Evan MULHOLLAND: You can have both? Okay. Can you give it? I will take the interjection from Ms Terpstra and ask if she can provide an update on the Geelong fast rail and the Western Rail Plan, if we can have both. You clearly cannot. You have made a political choice. This government has made a political choice to neglect the growth areas of Melbourne in favour of the Premier’s $216 billion vanity project, being the Suburban Rail Loop. You have got to make this choice. We know which way you will vote, but our vote will belong to the people of Werribee. And the people of Werribee will know that we have fought for them in this place and the Labor Party have neglected them like they have for the last 43 years.

Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (14:52): I do rise, and I thank Mr Mulholland for giving us the opportunity to talk about all things Werribee this afternoon and indeed all things about our fabulous local Labor candidate John Lister.

I always enjoy Mr Mulholland’s speeches, but what I found particularly interesting today is that in a 20-minute speech it took him until well after the 17-minute mark to even mention their candidate. Perhaps it is because in the debate on the last motion we had Ms Crozier very stridently yelling at everyone ‘Where do you live?’ in relation to Prahran. Maybe this is because he was not so keen to draw attention to the fact that their candidate is a real estate agent who lives in Essendon, a lovely man, I am sure – I actually bumped into him out on the hustings a few weeks ago; he was pleasant enough – but I can compare him to John Lister, a lifelong Werribee local who lives in Werribee.

In fact through John I have learned about some of the dynamics of the area. Just as with places like Berwick and Cranbourne, you have an old Werribee and a new Werribee. John, as we know, is currently renting in the old Werribee, and he is looking for a house at some point, like many millennials. Mr Mulholland surprisingly attacked a fellow millennial by saying he was in nappies when the Liberal candidate was getting up and about, but John is well into his 30s. He is a very experienced schoolteacher, in fact, and far from coming from nappies actually comes from a lifelong Werribee history. That has involved volunteering for his local CFA and volunteering for other CFAs when he has lived in different parts as well. I know it has been a particularly taxing time for him to be talking with friends who have been on the front line of the fires whilst he has been out knocking on doors each and every day.

It has been a genuine privilege to be out there as a south-eastern MP doorknocking with John, an expert in the western suburbs. We have had some great conversations with locals. I have to say people have had very positive and very good responses to someone who is a genuine local, who many of them know – whether it is from their children or indeed it is the students themselves or friends of friends – as a very well regarded local teacher. In fact he might not appreciate me saying this, but I understand that some of his former year 10 students actually made a Facebook group in his honour – a fan club in fact – so indeed his social media was started by his own students before he even started it, which goes to show the commitment that he has shown to his students, to his local community, and his passion for that community.

When he talks to people – indeed we spoke with people in the Harpley estate; we spoke to people in Wyndham Vale as well – he can talk from genuine experience from his friends having houses in those areas. He knows the issues from looking for a future house for his partner and himself and their dog, and he has been to these places in his capacity as a firefighter. He has supported those students, who live right across the Werribee electorate, and he has got that deep connection that comes when you have a genuine local connection to the area and a genuine local story.

I have to say, we have a broad, wonderful movement in the Labor Party, and I had not come across John prior to my going out there to campaign for him. But I was genuinely very, very inspired by seeing a great local person, a local person living Labor values, who will be an outstanding member for Werribee. He lives and breathes Werribee, and he is going to absolutely be an incredible local representative. And being a local representative – for all those things that Mr Mulholland was talking about, I probably will not have enough time to go through them – indeed his passion for that local area is highlighted in this government’s commitment to the schools in that Werribee district as well. In and around the Werribee electorate, just since we have come into office, this government has built seven new local schools. In fact, Walcom Ngarrwa Secondary College was one which John and I were actually doorknocking nearby a few weeks ago. It was lovely to hear the sounds of bells and announcements in the distance from this wonderful new school, and certainly a fabulous new school it looked to be as well. In addition to that, we have got Nganboo Borron School, Laa Yulta Primary School, Ngarri Primary School, Lollypop Creek Primary School, Riverbend Primary School and Riverwalk Primary School as well. That is seven new schools, in addition to major upgrades at two further schools, those being Manor Lakes P–12 and at Werribee college as well.

On top of that, we have also of course been expanding and investing in early childhood education in Werribee, as with across the state, making three- and four-year-old kinder free. Mr Mulholland talked about the cost of living. That is a major cost of living aid for local Werribee families. So too is the school saving bonus – $400 per student at each and every government school in this state. Back in my electorate for a minute, it was great to be out with Minister Carroll in Springvale South a couple of weeks ago at the uniform shop at a wonderful local primary school, and indeed we now have passed $100 million of savings to Victorian families across the state just from that program alone. So if you talk about the cost of living that actually matters to Victorian families – indeed Werribee families, just as much as it does to south-east families – these are the sorts of things that matter. These are the things that matter to people. Having new, up-to-date schools matters. Under the previous government, not a single new school was built in the Werribee area. In fact, they actually cut back millions from the Werribee Mercy Hospital. That is a legacy that you go to Werribee voters with at this election, and that is a legacy that you are trying to polish and sell, but they see right through you.

When it comes to transport, we have seen massive investment. Driving back through Werribee with John, he was pointing out when we went through the Cherry Street level crossing removal. That was done a few years ago. What a difference that made, unlocking access to Wyndham Vale in particular, and what a difference that made to that community. As with other level crossing removal projects, we have seen the impact that has had. But we also know that there is more to do, and John is not out there each and every day campaigning so he can tell people what Labor has done over the past 10 years. He is out there every day campaigning so that he can be the voice to drive that further, to make the next chapter of difference, to be that passionate local advocate for Werribee that I know he will be. He is out there, and already we have seen an announcement just in the last couple of weeks between the federal and state governments about the continued upgrades. We have already seen Ison Road, the bridge over the railway line, which is already under construction. Indeed, I got to see the works on that myself as I was driving around the roadworks around it. It is very apparent to see what a difference that will make.

But we are now going one step further, and John has been able to secure a commitment – indeed not just a commitment, as it is already now underway – to get the Werribee Main Road interchange with the Princes Freeway built. That continuation on to Ison Road is going to make a huge difference to families in the west and the south-west of Werribee, in places like Mambourin and Manor Lakes and Wyndham Vale as well, because I know from the response, having doorknocked with him before and after the announcement, just what an impact that announcement made. These are the sorts of things – not the only things – that Werribee locals have been saying to John that have been said to me as well. And that is what good local Labor candidates do – they listen and they deliver. And that is of course too what good Labor governments do – listen and deliver. And that is exactly why John will make an outstanding member of the Jacinta Allan Labor government here in Victoria, because he is a local, and he lives it.

His constituents’ frustrations are his frustrations. If it is schools, if it is hospitals, if it is justice – indeed we have got the new Wyndham law courts, some of the biggest in the state. We have also got the new Wyndham police station.

Bev McArthur: What about the Werribee courts?

Michael GALEA: That is exactly what I am talking about, the new Wyndham courts. That is the same place, Mrs McArthur. You said you have been to Prahran. Have you been to Werribee, Mrs McArthur? I know Mr Mulholland has also said he has been out in Werribee, and that is very good. I am sure he has many opportunities to pass through Werribee on his way down to pay fealty to Mrs McArthur and beg her not to take his spot. When you have been out there I am sure you would have seen, if you had gone down the main road through Werribee on the old Princes Highway, the new law courts and the police station, as I saw them. Indeed if you drove there from the south-east, you would have gone past the works of the West Gate Tunnel, a major, major transport infrastructure project that is going to benefit the western suburbs first and foremost. They are the sorts of things that we have as a legacy to stand on. But as I said, John is not campaigning to go and say, ‘Vote for me because my side of politics did all these things over the last 10 years’, even though the list is considerable, and I have barely touched on it. John is going out there and saying, ‘Vote for me because I’m a local. I know what the issues are, I hear your concerns and I give a damn.’ And giving a damn is a hell of a lot easier when you live around the corner from someone than when you live about 30 kilometres away. That is what John Lister will be doing as an effective local Labor MP. I know he will be, if elected, in our caucus room and in our Parliament absolutely championing his community every day. That is what he is going to be doing. So I actually do thank Mr Mulholland for the opportunity to speak on this today. He may have spent a small minority of his speech talking about his candidate, but on this side we are very, very proud indeed to talk about a fierce local champion, who is going to build off the legacy of all the infrastructure improvements in the western suburbs of Melbourne and deliver more and better outcomes for his constituents.

Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO (Northern Metropolitan) (15:02): I thank the member for bringing this motion to the house to discuss the important issue of access to transport and infrastructure in Werribee and the greater west. The Greens will be opposing this motion today. The Greens understand that people in the Western Metropolitan Region are facing the brunt of a longstanding issue: a lack of social, economic, educational and cultural infrastructure and investment that supports this rapidly growing community. The current resources are not meeting the needs and demands of the communities. As one of Australia’s fastest growing municipalities, the Greens believe the community needs a wider and more comprehensive approach.

We know that transport disadvantage is a significant problem across Victoria and particularly in outer urban areas like Werribee. Transport disadvantage perpetuates a cycle of poverty and social exclusion. This transport disadvantage creates significant levels of financial stress when those living on low incomes have no choice but to own a car, which not just is a big up-front purchase but also locks people into the ongoing costs of maintaining that vehicle in a cost-of-living crisis through skyrocketing fuel costs and exorbitant insurance costs. The Greens have been supportive of the long-running Better Buses community-led campaign calling on the government to provide the west with greater connectivity, reforming bus routes to provide fast, frequent, clean electric buses to get people where they need to go. We would like to acknowledge the work of David Ettershank from the Legalise Cannabis Party, who has also been supportive of the Better Buses campaign. Ensuring that all Victorians have access to housing, employment, essential services and opportunities for personal growth is crucial for their wellbeing, social connections and participation in civic, community and cultural life.

The Greens have consistently advocated for improved public transport services and safer, more efficient cycling infrastructure. We have successfully secured major upgrades to South Yarra station, facility improvements at South Kensington station, the introduction of a 1-metre minimum passing law for vehicles overtaking cyclists to enhance safety and the development of bike lanes on St Kilda Road. We are committed to securing affordable, accessible and environmentally conscious transport for all Victorians.

The Western Metropolitan Region is a vibrant and diverse community. Nearly half of all residents were born overseas in non-English-speaking countries, with over 184 different languages spoken in the area and over 100 different faiths practised. It is fantastic to see an area in Victoria with so much opportunity for cultural exchange and learning.

Diverse ideas only strengthen the rich tapestry of creativity and innovation that can emerge in business, arts or technology. As a spokesperson for multiculturalism and anti-racism, I would like to see greater investment, not just in transport but to address the cultural needs of Werribee residents. The Werribee multicultural festival is already a testament to this, with communities celebrating their culture and diversity. Building on this, the Greens would like to see a more integrated approach to infrastructure in the Werribee community, with increased investment in schools, hospitals and other community services that consider cultural needs.

It is important that affordable and accessible transport is available to keep those communities connected. If we want migrants to be active participants in the Victorian community, we must support them to access services and connect them to other people. There is good evidence from Sydney and Toronto that shows recent immigrants are more likely to use public transit than the general population.

In the Werribee population, there is a higher proportion of First Nations people than across Victoria. It is important First Nations residents are supported with the agency to own, design and control infrastructure for their social, economic and cultural needs. We see in the most recent Australian census that 12 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people do not own a car. So it is unsurprising – sad but unsurprising – that First Nations people aged 15 and above are 9.1 times more likely to report either being unable to get to places they need to get to or being housebound – 8.2 per cent compared with 0.9 per cent of non-Indigenous Australians. The Greens want to ensure First Nations people are uplifted to achieve educational and employment success.

While transport disadvantage affects many in Werribee, we can clearly see that it is particularly sharp amongst First Nations people and migrant communities. These communities may face so many challenges, everything from obtaining a drivers licence to financial hardship, language and literacy barriers, identification requirements and the need for both a vehicle and an experienced driver to practise. The cost of fuel and recurring defaults on traffic fines further add to these difficulties. Limited access to driver licensing remains a major obstacle for First Nations people in reaching essential health, education and employment services. Investing in more frequent, reliable and affordable public transport would help bridge this gap, ensuring that everyone has access to the opportunities and services they need.

Transport is a key enabler for access to health care, goods and services. The health sector in the Western Metropolitan Region has an infrastructure shortage; with rising populations the forecast demand is for 1500 beds in the next 15 years. There are currently only 298 public hospital beds in Wyndham alone. This is a staggering 1202 shortfall, and the Greens acknowledge Wyndham City Council’s recommendation to the state government to address this.

Werribee has a young population with a larger proportion aged under 45 compared to wider Victoria. The region also has a higher concentration of residents with vocational qualifications rather than tertiary education. Young people deserve equitable access to education, employment and essential services regardless of their location or socio-economic status. However, without reliable and affordable transport options, these opportunities remain out of reach for many.

A report from the International Transport Forum at the OECD highlights how financial constraints and employment status significantly impact young people’s ability to own and operate a car. In high-income countries like Australia declining car ownership among youth is driven by rising participation in higher education, delayed workforce entry, insecure employment and soaring house costs. The increasing costs of driving, including licensing, fuel, maintenance and insurance, further reduce disposable income, limiting mobility and access to opportunities. In Werribee, where socio-economic disadvantage is already a pressing issue, characterised by lower incomes, lower home ownership rates and higher unemployment, transport accessibility plays a crucial role in social and economic inclusion.

Many residents work long hours every week, yet public transport leaves them with fewer options beyond car ownership, increasing the financial strain. Expanding reliable and affordable public transport would provide a critical alternative, ensuring young people and low-income residents can reach education, employment and essential services without the burden of private vehicle costs.

A lack of access to public transport does more than create inconvenience. It isolates vulnerable communities, limits economic participation and entrenches inequality. If we are serious about addressing disadvantage in Werribee and the broader west, we must invest in better public transport.

Investment in transport, education and health care is not just about infrastructure, it is about equity, opportunity and ensuring Werribee thrives. The Greens will continue fighting for a future where every resident, regardless of their background, can access the services and opportunities they deserve.

Moira DEEMING (Western Metropolitan) (15:11): Werribee is just one of the long-neglected and exploited seats in Labor’s so-called ‘red wall’ in the western suburbs. They had the Treasurer of Victoria as their local MP for over a decade, but instead of being rewarded for their loyalty or even just giving a fair share of taxes, the people of Werribee have been treated as second-class citizens, forced to endure crumbling roads, inadequate public transport, overcrowded schools, an overstretched health system and an under-resourced justice system, all while this government pours billions into pet projects in the inner city and marginal seats – projects that it seems are feared to be the final nail in Victoria’s economic coffin. This government loves to talk about fairness and equality, but when it comes to delivering services and infrastructure in Werribee, the plans and commitments promised to locals before the elections always seem to be revised to ‘tentative plans’ or ‘evolving commitments’ once Labor are back in. They seem to love to sell land to developers but hate to reinvest that money to ensure that infrastructure can keep up with the population growth.

Take transport. Labor’s promised multimillion-dollar upgrades and the electrification of lines to Wyndham Vale were promised in 2018 but never delivered. The people of Werribee were left with overcrowded and unreliable train services that fail to keep up with demand and a bit of a verbal but not on-paper promise for an SRL West loop that apparently will not even be able to be begun until 2053. Then there are the bus services in suburbs like Wyndham Vale, Manor Lakes and Hoppers Crossing. They are irregular, they are impractical and they leave residents without viable public transport options. Again, there have been some recent announcements and they look great on a Facebook post, but they do absolutely nothing to overhaul the underlying problems, which are that the bus routes are a spaghetti bowl and that there is a $60 million shortfall in bus funding for the west compared to the rest of Victoria.

Then there are roads. We all know that congestion has long been at crisis levels, caused by unsafe, poorly maintained roads and a lack of funding for upgrades on key corridors. But the pre-by-election promise to upgrade the Werribee Main Road–Princes Freeway interchange is not even expected to be completed until 2030, and we know what kind of promises they are anyway. Making travel safe, reliable and viable, like so many other ‘Labor budget priorities’, seems to be theoretical, like their forward estimates, or they are just effectively cancelled by being left to languish in the planning stages forever and ever and ever, like the Melton Hospital.

Education is another disgrace. Parents in Werribee are desperate for new schools and proper funding for existing facilities. Schools in Werribee are some of the most overcrowded in this state. Students have been forced into makeshift classrooms, rotated in groups to access sunlight and grass on school grounds and at times told to stay at home and do online learning instead. Just compare Werribee and Cranbourne: both are on the outskirts of Melbourne. They are both experiencing massive population growth, but since 2019 Werribee has received only four primary schools, one secondary school and one specialist school, whereas Cranbourne has received seven new primary schools and three new secondary schools, including a supported inclusion school. It is indefensible.

And let us not forget health care. Werribee Mercy Hospital is and honestly has for years been at breaking point. In the last year, emergency department waiting times have increased by 40 per cent, with some patients waiting over 12 hours to receive urgent care. I myself was left in the emergency room there in a portable while I was miscarrying for 12 hours.

Again, there have been announcements for health hubs and health precincts. They look great on a brochure, but they do nothing to increase overall health services. Compounding these failures is the government’s failure to invest in crime prevention and justice infrastructure. The people of Werribee are frightened. Lawlessness and violent crime are skyrocketing. The bail system is broken, and police resources are stretched. Police stations are underfunded and understaffed. Response times are increasing, and criminals are emboldened. We all saw that one young offender in the news saying, ‘Why do I commit these crimes? I do it because I can get away with it.’ And no wonder. We know the Werribee Magistrates’ Court is old, unfit for purpose and overwhelmed with terrible delays, which deny the victims of this crime wave the justice that they deserve. Again, there was a lovely announcement, and we all thought it would be solved by the building of the Wyndham law courts. But now of course we find out that the government has not funded the staff necessary to run that court.

So, as we can see, Labor actually can find the money in the budget. Labor actually can find the political will to sign employment contracts when it comes to projects and pay rises that totally coincidentally happen to benefit certain Labor-affiliated unions. But when it comes to basic service delivery like paying for court staff or nursing staff to fill up the beds in their renovated hospital wards that would actually deliver services to people and get criminals off the street, all of a sudden the cupboard is bare. Labor say, ‘We have no money,’ and they cannot find the political will to sign a contract anyway.

The people of Werribee are not actually asking for special treatment. They are simply asking for their fair share. They deserve roads that are safe and efficient. They deserve schools that can accommodate their children and hospitals that can provide timely care. They deserve to be safe from crime. They deserve a government that values them not by their tax contributions or their union contributions but as people. They deserve a government that invests in them. They actually deserve a Liberal government.

And since it has turned into a bit of a campaigning opportunity for this notice of motion, even though I have waited until I have read my whole speech, I will mention Steve Murphy, who I have known for a very long time. It was said by those opposite that it is shameful that Stephen Murphy does not live in the electorate of Werribee. He did live in the electorate of Werribee for 30 years. That is why everybody knows him. The only reason that he moved out was the 5-kilometre rings of steel that this government imposed on everybody in Victoria and trashed their lives. They had to lose money by moving to a different suburb to be within 5 kilometres and not break the law whilst serving their own children and grandchildren. So that is why. That is not a man who moved out for a better life. That is not a man who abandoned his community. That is a man who loves his family and suffered and sacrificed for them.

I met John Lister as I was out campaigning in Werribee these last few weeks. He is a lovely guy, like so many Labor people are. But we all know by now that he is just a Labor cog in a Labor machine, and that Labor MPs represent Labor, they do not represent their electorates.

Sheena WATT (Northern Metropolitan) (15:18): Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak to the motion before us. I will be very happy to make a contribution speaking against Mr Mulholland’s motion, a motion that I see as nothing more than a cynical attempt by those opposite to feign interest in Werribee, a community that they have long neglected and worked actively against at every turn.

I just want to start my contribution by saying I think it is kind of extraordinary that this motion and also yesterday the contributions that were in this place regarding Werribee were brought to this chamber by Mr Mulholland, a fellow colleague of mine in the Northern Metropolitan Region. I have got to say that there are in fact two members of the Liberal Party that represent the Western Metropolitan Region, and it was good to finally have an opportunity to hear from them in this contribution. I think it says something when you put forward a motion that Labor has taken Werribee and the other western suburbs seats for granted when you indeed also have members representing the interests of the western suburbs and they have sat back. There is a lot to be said about Werribee. I am very happy to join with the speakers before me, Mr Galea, and make some contributions about the beautiful seat of Werribee.

I know that those opposite and the mover of this motion know that there is a real hypocrisy at play here, because the critical infrastructure projects that have been opposed by those opposite are staggering. This is the same party that has fought against investment in Melbourne’s west – it has got to be known – and it is now wanting to lecture us about delivery in Werribee. For me, I just cannot take it. I will stand with my colleagues on this side and with the people of Werribee when there is something that I am very happy to let folks know about, and that is the investments in infrastructure, transport, health, education and community services.

For me, one of the most transformational changes has been the removal of the level crossings – a project that we know those opposite have opposed every step of the way, only for it to backfire spectacularly because, I have got to tell you, the folks out there are really enjoying that. The removal of level crossings in Werribee has revolutionised the way people move around the suburb. No longer do cars sit idly by at boom gates burning fuel and wasting time. The removal of the Cherry Street and Werribee Street level crossings in March 2021, alongside the Hoppers Crossing Old Geelong Road removal, has been nothing short of transformational. These projects have unlocked new opportunities, they have improved traffic flow, they have reduced congestion and they have increased safety for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike. Where there were once some really frustrating useless dead spaces, we have now got upgraded roads and improved community assets. Productivity has soared. People are spending less time in traffic and more time where they need to be, whether that is at school, at work or with their families, who are enjoying the many, many community centres that are around the place, including some fabulous sports fields.

We know this and I know this because I too have been speaking to the people of Werribee, either on the phone or on their doorsteps, and they tell us and they tell me how these projects have transformed their quality of life. Yet every time this government has pushed forward with level crossing removals, the Liberals have fought tooth and nail against them. They claimed it was not necessary. They argued it was too costly. But the people of Werribee, they know the truth that these removals have changed lives for the better. They have provided safer, faster and more efficient transport connections for our growing community. The government’s commitment to Werribee extends beyond transport infrastructure, although I could speak about that for quite some time. I am prompted now to talk a little bit about the Ison Road overpass, which we will deliver, which is a crucial link between Wyndham West to the Princes Freeway. This project alone will improve safety and ease congestion, directing traffic out of the town centre and ensuring smoother movement across our city.

For those who claim that this government has failed to deliver infrastructure for Werribee, one thing that I want to highlight that needs to be celebrated is Eagle Stadium. If you know about it, you would see firsthand our investments in community infrastructure. It is a thriving community centre with upgraded amenities and folks there all the time. While those opposite attempt to rewrite history, the facts remain: we are delivering for Werribee’s future; we are doubling the capacity of the emergency department at the hospital, ensuring that families in the west have access to world-class health care; we have opened the first-ever early parenting centre, helping parents navigate the challenges of raising young children, with experts at hand providing critical support; and we have unprecedented investment in schools, which Mr Galea spoke to earlier – the range of new schools that have been opened out there. Thank you for that, Mr Galea.

We have invested over $1.9 billion into the western suburbs, building 35 new schools and upgrading more than 200 existing schools. We have ensured that every government school built since 2021 has a kindergarten onsite or next door, making it easier for parents to manage the dreaded double drop-off. When I compare that with the record of those opposite, they talk about roads, yet they fought against the West Gate Tunnel, a project that I am so very much looking forward to, that will dramatically cut travel times and provide an alternative to the congested West Gate Bridge. They talk about community investment, yet have historically ignored Werribee, failing to deliver even the most basic infrastructure to support the growing population. And now with a by-election approaching, they suddenly claim to care. But the people of Werribee are not to be fooled by last-minute attempts to win votes – I know this.

They have shown time and time again that they are not standing with the community. They have opposed projects that benefit Werribee, and they have failed to deliver real solutions on their own.

Let us be clear, we are not just talking about investments in Werribee, we are actually delivering them. We have made the Werribee line level crossing free, allowing for more frequent train services, and invested $151 million in new housing projects in Wyndham. More Victorians are calling Werribee home because of our investments. We have expanded schools, upgraded hospitals and improved community services to meet the needs of our region. The community of Werribee deserve leadership that invests in their community, removes dangerous level crossings, builds better roads and creates opportunity for families to thrive.

This motion calls on the Labor government to finally prioritise the people of Werribee. Well, this is exactly what the Allan Labor government has done and will continue to do. Just look at the options presented. I am going to take some time to talk about those options, which the good people of Werribee will be considering this coming Saturday. The options in front of them are representation by someone who puts people first as a teacher and an emergency services volunteer or someone who literally seeks to profit from selling Werribee. So let us not be fooled by this motion before us. They have ignored Werribee for years and they want to pretend they care right now.

I have spent so much of my summer talking as well to the good people of Werribee. I too have been on the doors, and they are absolutely thrilled that their candidate is Mr Lister, a teacher and emergency services volunteer known to them, someone that absolutely they know will stand up for their community. The community of Harpley, who I have spoken to many, many times, and Wyndham Vale and elsewhere, I have got to tell you, are excited about the prospect of Mr Lister being their representative in our state Parliament. I hope that we can continue to fulfil the wishes of the people of Werribee and enjoy their support this coming Saturday.

There is very much more that we can continue to do, and I know that whether it is the Ison Road overpass, the new schools, the investment in mental health for young ones and also emergency services, there is so much that the folks deserve and care about. There is a strong feeling of support for Mr Lister out there, and I cannot wait to do my bit, like so many others right across Werribee, to make sure that they all know that there is a really clear choice this Saturday. And that is an opportunity to vote for someone who truly cares about Werribee, so much so that he goes to sleep each and every night in that community and he wakes up and he walks to his local cafe in that community. I know that he lives there, he works there and his family is known to that community so very much – and a big hello to his mum. I know that Labor will continue to support the communities of the west, delivering the infrastructure, the services and the opportunities this community deserves.

I absolutely oppose this motion, and I cannot wait till it comes to a vote because I will stand up strongly opposing this motion. I urge others in here to do exactly the same and vote for Mr Lister this Saturday.

David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan) (15:28): I rise to make a contribution to motion 791 on the Werribee by-election, and I thank Mr Mulholland for moving it. It raises a number of issues very close to our hearts – and then I realise it is being moved by the Liberal Party. I do not know how many motions we have raised about the west over the last two years – public transport, justice, services, the environment, multiculturalism, western suburbs Nazis – and with the possible exception of my learned and very respected colleague Mr Trung Luu, we have heard nary a peep of support from Liberal members.

There are big, big issues in the west and in Werribee, but I am afraid this motion smacks of pure political cynicism. The Teals have ripped you a new posterior vent in the inner east, and you believe that a Dutton-inspired cultural war will rally the working classes of the western and south-east suburbs to deliver some salvation. But I am afraid I think you are dreaming.

There is a general understanding across the west that the Liberal Party does not believe that sentient life exists west of the Maribyrnong – or at least not until you get to Torquay.

Mr Mulholland raised the question of the Age and some sources there, so let us talk about the article from Chip Le Grand recently, which starkly exposed the Liberal disconnection from the west. If I might summarise Mr Le Grand, in the second-most multicultural place in Victoria you went for an old white Catholic real estate agent who lives in Essendon. Now, I am sure Mr Murphy is a very nice man, but talk about not reading the room – seriously. You had a potential candidate who could draw from across the Indian diaspora – that is 20 per cent of that electorate – and you went for Mr Murphy. But then of course your 19-member administrative committee does not have a single member who actually lives west of the Maribyrnong, does it? So this sudden concern about the aspirations of the unappreciated residents of Werribee – let us be real – is all crocodile tears. This motion is about embarrassing the Labor Party and shows scant sincerity about the west.

So perhaps to help you shape the remainder of your campaign in the west, because there are still a few days to go, let us talk about some of the issues that really do matter. First, let us talk about law and order. That is a big one. Everyone, first and foremost, has a right to be safe in their own home or in public, but the Liberals keep bleating the same tired slogans and dog whistles – ‘Get tough on crime’, ‘Get more cops on the beat’ – an approach that simply does not work. Then there is this tired dog whistle about youth crime waves. Show me where simply having more police on the beat enforcing the law more vigorously has done anything to fundamentally improve public safety.

A couple of points: one, there is a shortage of police not just in Werribee but also across Victoria and across Australia, so where are you going to get these police from? Secondly, the best way to keep young people out of trouble is to keep them engaged in their community and have them finish school and get a job. It is also much cheaper. It costs $6000 a year to keep a young person in school, but it costs $7700 a day to have that same kid down the road at the Cherry Creek corrections centre. You could triple the spend on keeping youth engaged, supported and in school and reduce crime and save money at the same time.

On a subject close to my own heart, can I observe that Wyndham loves cannabis. On a warm night in late summer you can walk down many a street in Werribee or Wyndham Vale and breathe in the delightful aroma of ripening homegrown weed, yet we spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year on criminalising the simple possession of weed. This is not about commercial dealing or growing. We are simply talking about having it on you or growing a couple of plants in the backyard. What is criminal is the waste of taxes on policing, and I know from speaking with local police that they hate enforcing these laws. What is more, if you are a multicultural or Aboriginal member of the community – and that is a lot of folks in this electorate – you are eight times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession and half as likely to be offered diversion. While we are on law and order I would also say that the locals are very disappointed that they will soon host the second-largest court complex in the state but still have to travel to Sunshine or the city to access specialist court services, because the government is not proposing to adequately resource them.

Secondly, on traffic and public transport, the shocking state of traffic in Werribee is testament to the atrocious planning and underinvestment in roads and public transport by both major parties over many decades. Let us face it, the Western Rail Plan and the western bus plan for the western suburbs are largely off the rails and must be reset, resourced and prioritised by this government. But improvements can be made right now, particularly to public transport; fast, frequent and reliable buses connecting residents to major activity centres and train stations can be done almost immediately. The Better Buses campaign, which we have championed for 18 months, provides a rapid way to make major improvements. One bus can take 50 cars off the road, so it has major benefits in terms of cost of living as well as environmental issues.

In the west, talking about cost of living, it is worth remembering that the average household has a little under three cars per household. The motion refers to the Suburban Rail Loop West. Honestly, I have talked to a lot of people about public transport over the last two years in the west, and no-one has ever mentioned it. There is, however, a very strong feeling that there are tens of billions of dollars being dropped into a hole in the ground for a couple of train stations when people in the west would basically like a decent train service with decent buses that connect to them.

In terms of housing, that is a big issue. The cost and availability of housing in Werribee is much like it is across Melbourne, but there are some unique issues that arise from being the fastest growth corridor in Australia. We get a heap of complaints from people who have bought into new estates on the promise of a range of marvellous services, retail outlets and access to public transport, only to find the developers have delivered little or nothing. One large estate in the west was promised public transport and a shopping centre and five years later has nothing to show for it. Another estate was promised an aquatics centre, and they got a pond. I jest not, they got a pond. We have raised this repeatedly in this Parliament, and all we have got is the offer of one referral from a minister to Consumer Affairs Victoria. We will be looking to bring amendments to the Parliament that will force developers to document the services they use in their sales pitch and make them enforceable.

Fourthly, services. The provision of services and infrastructure in Werribee has profoundly failed to keep pace with its growth. On almost any indicator the western suburbs are underfunded compared to the eastern suburbs. This is largely because the Labor Party takes it for granted, believing it to be a safe seat, and the Libs do not really get that anything matters west of the Maribyrnong. All we seek is the same level of investment in infrastructure and services as all those politically marginal seats in the eastern suburbs. To give but one example, swimming pools are chronically underprovided in the west, where temperatures can be 10 degrees higher than in the east. The City of Wyndham has just one aquatic and recreation centre for every 48,000 young people. That compares to one for every 5000 young people in the City of Melbourne, and we can point to any number of other services that are in exactly the same position.

I will conclude with two points. Firstly, we know the west is the best, but it gets so much less. The reality is that the government needs to recognise this and act on it, or 2026 will be an electoral disaster. Secondly, in terms of the motion from the opposition, you may have raised a few issues that are of concern to the people of Werribee and some that, frankly, just are not, but you offer nothing meaningful by way of positive change. You offer opportunistic criticisms and glib one-liners but no solutions and no commitments to actually improving the lives of folks in the west. Accordingly, Legalise Cannabis Victoria will not be supporting the motion.

Trung LUU (Western Metropolitan) (15:38): I rise today to support the motion put forward by my colleague Mr Mulholland. In a nutshell this motion states that Labor has taken Werribee and other western suburbs seats for granted for too long, failing to give adequate infrastructure given the massive population growth in the western suburbs. This motion goes to the heart of the Allan Labor government’s appalling failure to properly plan for the future need for the growing western suburbs of Melbourne, an area that I proudly represent in this place and continue to fight for every single day.

This motion before us speaks about the questionable priorities of the Allan Labor government, who have been in power for over a decade and who have also been privileged to represent the good people of Werribee for four decades, and yet in that time they have failed to deliver the essential services and infrastructure that residents in the outer west rely on. To give an example, my office is on Watton Street in Werribee. I had an appointment with constituents in Manor Lakes, and it took me 35 minutes to get there – I travelled 9 k’s. Yet I had another appointment with constituents in the west, in Sunshine North, 26 k’s away, which is three times the distance, and it took me the same time. That is the lack of infrastructure and roads this government has put in place to rely on in Werribee.

I can appreciate why Labor is hesitant about this motion, given I am sure many of those on the other side are bracing themselves for a significant voter backlash as voters in Werribee head to the polls this Saturday to cast judgement on their record. It is about neglecting the west as second-class citizens. It is a record of this Labor government of overpromising and underdelivering.

This government is stubbornly steaming ahead with its ill-fated Suburban Rail Loop, a $220 billion project that will do nothing for the residents – my constituents – of Werribee in the rapidly growing suburbs in the west, of Wyndham Vale, Manor Lakes and Mambourin, despite concerns from various agencies and authorities. These areas require significant investment in infrastructure to cater for the growing populations. Residents in Melbourne’s west need action now, not words or hollow promises. Constituents in these communities were promised major transport infrastructure projects, and in not just one but two state elections Labor has failed to deliver on them, like the Western Rail Plan. Labor failed to expand the Wyndham Vale line – that was cancelled last year. The electrification of the Melton rail line – another cancellation. These infrastructure upgrades are critical for the western suburbs, and the failure by the Allan Labor government to prioritise these works is inexcusable. Instead, the Allan Labor government are putting all their eggs in the one basket, the Suburban Rail Loop, which if they continue to forge ahead with risks this state’s financial bottom line and will worsen our state’s ballooning debt, which already nears $187 billion for 2027–28.

Rating agency Standard & Poor’s has already sounded the alarm bells on a further reduction in our state’s credit rating if the Allan government presses ahead with this Suburban Rail Loop project, especially without guaranteed funding from the Commonwealth government. The state Labor government are yet to even finalise when they expect the $2 billion promised by their counterpart in Canberra to prop up the Suburban Rail Loop or when they can expect the $7 billion promised for the Suburban Rail Loop East.

As I traverse the great electorate in Werribee, I hear residents wanting access to quality public transport. It includes additional reliable buses. I am on record in this chamber fighting for additional bus services given the failure by this government to invest in train infrastructure, because as we know, buses are the cheapest form of transportation to alleviate the needs of the western suburbs. The bus services in the west under Labor are too infrequent and are not direct routes. A standard local weekday route is roughly about 40 minutes across the western suburbs. If you are unlucky, in some areas it takes over 70 minutes – unbelievable, but it is true. This government must start delivering tangible results for people in my electorate. Stop with the platitudes and start delivering real services. Start by increasing the frequency, the reliability and the accessibility of bus services, provide for better train stations and prepare for the future expansion of Melbourne’s west, because we deserve just the same first-class transportation services as those residents living in the east or elsewhere in the state.

Sonja TERPSTRA (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (15:44): I rise to make a contribution on this motion in Mr Mulholland’s name calling on the house to note a number of things in regard to the Werribee by-election, but it also sets out a litany of falsehoods, I guess, that could be pointed to as the opposition trying to build a narrative that the Labor government does not care about people who live in the western suburbs and particularly in Werribee. Nothing could be further from the truth. I know many speakers on the government benches over here have gone to the detail about the investment that the government has placed in Werribee and continues to do so. There is no doubt that Werribee is a growing community. Lots of young families live there, and of course what that means is there is a demand on services and also on roads and basic infrastructure.

And I note that of course with the Werribee by-election just around the corner now what we have heard many people speak about in this chamber is the great candidate that we have in John Lister, who is a proud Werribee local and has a very longstanding connection with that community as well through his family. He will be a great member for Werribee, and I look forward to welcoming him into this Parliament. I know he will be a staunch advocate for the people in Werribee. I note Mr Galea also talked earlier about that he is such a popular local that his former school students have started a Facebook group and Facebook page social media platform because they just love him. It is wonderful to hear that school students who Mr Lister has taught hold him in a special place in their heart, because as we know, education changes lives, and it sounds like John Lister is a fantastic public school education teacher, and I just think it is an incredible asset – it will be an incredible asset – for the people of Werribee to have him here in this Parliament, and I note that it will not be long until he is here.

But I will just talk a little bit now about the name of the community in Werribee, for example. The very name comes from the Wadawurrung and Boon Wurrung word for ‘backbone’, referring to the shape of the course of the Werribee River, and of course the Werribee River is a very important and beautiful river in that community, but it also refers to and can refer to the strength of the Werribee community. It is a very strong and proud community, and we hear often about the representations that John Lister is already making for that community. John himself is a very proud local, as I said, and he has also been a CFA volunteer for many decades and a proud public school teacher.

What we have been doing – and I am going to talk about infrastructure, because this is what this motion is about. The opposition say we are doing nothing about road infrastructure, nothing about growing local community and the endless traffic. Again they want to bang on about Suburban Rail Loop and all that sort of stuff and those long-suffering people in the west. I can say I was having a look at the election results in Werribee, and I think that the seat was held by Labor from 1979 to 2002, when it was abolished, and then there was a re-creation of the seat that came in 2014 to the present, which was held by Tim Pallas. It is an insult – and I have listened to Mr Mulholland’s contribution this entire time, where he has gone on and said that the people of Werribee have been taken for granted, that it is a safe seat and all this kind of rubbish. Well, the fact is you insult the people of Werribee because of the fact that they have made consistent decisions about returning a Labor member to that seat for many, many decades. They know there is a choice to be made, and every time they have made a choice to return a Labor member because they know what they would get under you lot is nothing but cuts, cuts, cuts. In fact I refer to Mr McCracken’s comments that were reported in the Herald Sun on 16  January, where he said

So I guess it’s a really difficult balancing act of how much do you cut, what do you cut, what services can you live without …

Well, I will tell you what will happen in Werribee if you lot are ever in government or if you actually win that seat: you would cut, cut, cut. You have already said that you would cancel Suburban Rail Loop, so the people of Werribee will never see Suburban Rail Loop West because you would cut it. You have already said that. So what we know is and what we are doing –

Evan Mulholland: You don’t even have a business case for SRL West.

Sonja TERPSTRA: No, we have. You just said earlier, Mr Mulholland, today that you have read the business case, so please. You cannot say one thing and then change it. We know how good you are at leading misinformation campaigns, because you do it every day in here, so what I am going to talk about is to set the record straight, because it is actually very, very disingenuous that you constantly talking down the western suburbs. You constantly talk down Werribee. You insult the people of Werribee by telling them that they should vote for an alternative. They know what they are voting for because, as I said, they have returned Labor to Werribee since 1979.

I will go on and I will talk about the record investment. We have since 2015 – and this is just when the seat was re-created – backed the Werribee community in delivering record investment in Melbourne’s growing west. The Metro Tunnel and West Gate Tunnel will open in 2025, and all they talk about is, ‘Oh, the bus network’s no good’ and this, that and the other thing. Well, I am going to go through it, because what we have got is a comprehensive plan about not only improving the road network but improving public transport options. Metro Tunnel and West Gate Tunnel will open in 2025, but if you listen to those opposite, we invest nothing – nothing – in the west.

It will be a game changer. It will help people in the west to get home sooner and connect them to their critical jobs and services. There are also other things we have done. We are making the Werribee line level crossing free, creating capacity to deliver more trains more often, and we will be able to do that because Metro Tunnel will open and it will be able to relieve pressure on those services.

We are creating more homes for Victorians, including more than $115 million for the Wyndham LGA as part of the landmark $6.3 billion investment in housing across Victoria, with already 360 new homes complete or underway. The early parenting centre in Wyndham – we have delivered a kinder onsite or next door to every new government primary school since 2021. We have delivered an urgent care clinic in Werribee. As I said, we are making the Werribee line level crossing free. We are building the Ison Road overpass in Werribee to help provide a vital link from Wyndham West to the Princes Freeway to improve safety and ease congestion by directing traffic out of the Werribee town centre.

But wait, there is more. This is what they do not talk about over there: the investment in public education that we have been able to deliver. Since 2015 we have invested upwards of $1.9 billion and built – wait for it – 35 new schools in the growing western suburbs. We opened 10 new schools in 2024 – 10 new public schools – including Walcom Ngarrwa Secondary College, Nganboo Borron School and Laa Yulta Primary School. We have also invested in upgrades to more than 200 schools across the west, including a $9.4 million upgrade and expansion of the Manor Lakes P–12 College.

Let me talk about roads again for a moment. We have invested $964 million towards maintaining Victoria’s road assets between now and mid-2025, which is an equivalent to $2.6 million every day. Crews are out on the ground in the city and suburbs and the regions delivering our road network. We have invested nearly double the average – $493 million more than the previous Liberal–National government. I could go on.

The rhetoric that is being built by those opposite about the fact that it is a safe Labor seat and we always take it for granted, again, is very insulting to the people of Werribee, who have time and time again since 1979 made a choice to return Labor members to that seat. As I said, we know how quickly the outer suburbs are growing. That is why I said we are investing in roads, we are investing in schools and we are also investing in public transport. Again, we have also invested in a key arterial corridor upgrade, which is the Point Cook Road and Sneydes Road intersection – $19.2 million to improve road safety and to get road users home quicker.

Finally, I will talk about bus networks, because if you listen to Legalise Cannabis, it is all doom and gloom, but I think there is a bit too much weed being smoked over on those benches, because they obviously do not know –

Bev McArthur: It’d be a weed-led recovery if they had their way.

Sonja TERPSTRA: That is right, a weed-led recovery. Absolutely, Mrs McArthur. Again, a bit too much of the funny stuff is being inhaled over there for them to actually notice what we have actually invested since April 2024. Wyndham received more than $21 million for a new bus connection between Harpley estate and Cornerstone estate communities and Wyndham Vale station. There is some other stuff here, but the point is it takes time and effort and investment to make those proposals and to get a bus network working and to look at how we can improve things. It takes time. We have been working on these things for some time. This includes 60 extra services per week to route 215, Caroline Springs to Highpoint shopping centre, and a new bus interchange open as part of the elevated Deer Park station.

There is a lot of work that has been going on across a whole range of areas, including the bus network. I know Legalise Cannabis will say, ‘We’ve moved this motion in the Parliament and we got this happening.’ They will claim credit for things that they have never done, but we know and the people the good people of Werribee who keep voting to return Labor members also know that it takes a Labor government to deliver on the things that matter to them. I will conclude my remarks, but the government will not be supporting this motion.

Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (15:54): I am very pleased to speak on this motion about Werribee, because what a great place it is and what a fantastic candidate we have got out there – Steve Murphy, an absolute hero. He has lived there for 30 years, and the only reason he is not there now is because of the absolute ring of steel that you put around people where they could not move out of their place. Where has Mr Pallas been for the entire time he was a member? He has been in Williamstown, and he has retreated back there. As for your candidate, my goodness me, he was his staffer. You did not want to talk about the fact that he worked for Mr Pallas. He worked for the man that has imposed 58 new or increased taxes on us, the worst Treasurer –

Sonja Terpstra: On a point of order, Acting President. I note Mrs McArthur’s very animated contribution in regard to the motion, but I do not think that talking about the Treasurer has anything to do with the –

Members interjecting.

Sonja Terpstra: Let me finish. Can I finish my point of order without interruption, thanks. The motion talks about us failing to invest in infrastructure, so I am struggling to understand how Mrs McArthur’s contribution has anything to do with the motion. I ask that she be brought back to the motion.

Evan Mulholland: Further to the point of order, Acting President, I ask the member to look at point (1) of the motion, which mentions the Honourable Tim Pallas.

Sonja Terpstra: Further to the point of order, Acting President, just because you mention his name does not mean it is germane to the motion. The motion is about infrastructure.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Jacinta Ermacora): I would ask Mrs McArthur to return to the topic, please, and that she be heard in silence.

Bev McARTHUR: Thank you, Acting Chair. And thank you, Ms Terpstra for wasting my time. You are in a situation where you are going to get completely thrashed on Saturday. I was out there in the Wyndham Vale booth and all those people were coming up to us and they were saying –

Tom McIntosh: On a point of order, Acting President, I love the enthusiasm. I do want to hear the contribution, Mrs McArthur. I would just ask you not to point, Mrs McArthur.

Bev McARTHUR: Oh, sorry.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Jacinta Ermacora): Thank you, Mrs McArthur.

Bev McARTHUR: Out there in the Wyndham Vale booth there were people coming up to us left, right and centre, and they were saying, ‘I’m never voting Labor again.’ The poor old Labor how-to-vote card people have retreated. They are almost invisible. We know that the people in Werribee are voting with absolute gusto to send you a message that you have treated Werribee with complete contempt. You have got a major transport infrastructure problem, you have got overcrowding in schools, you have got a lack of hospitals, and only today we learn about what is happening in the Werribee courts where victims and people are affected. Vote Steve Murphy. (Time expired)

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (15:57): I thank Mrs McArthur for the contribution. I thank all of my colleagues, including Mrs Deeming, Mr Luu and Mrs McArthur, for fantastic contributions pointing out how Werribee has been neglected. It has been neglected, and you only have to look at the Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution Fund, for example. Werribee, or Wyndham, is always the highest in terms of what it gets taxed from the government but also what it is missing out on. Currently there is about $33 million sitting in a state government bank account, propping up the budget, that should be spent out in Werribee that is not being delivered to those communities because the government loves to hold onto their developer taxes and fails to deliver it back to the communities. It actually waits about two years to deliver it back to the communities. If you look at the last two years, for example, if you are building a major project or building a maternal and child health centre or something like that, construction costs in the last two years have gone up 20 per cent, which means that growth areas like Werribee get less back because of this government’s botched delivery for new growth areas.

We know, and I know that that side do not like saying it, that John Lister was a staffer to Tim Pallas, so he is part of the problem. He is the reason why we have got $188 billion of debt. It is amazing to see that side of the chamber so curious and so excited to speak about how important he is. We have got the Labor Party on that side of the chamber – not Mr McIntosh, for some reason – speaking about how important it is for those who represent their local communities to live in their local communities. What hypocrisy. How many Labor MPs live on literally the other side of Port Phillip Bay and get flown into a Labor seat. But all of a sudden you have got this by-election and it is so important that we have a local. Steve Murphy has lived in the electorate and owned a business in the electorate for 30 years. Joanne Ryan, a federal Labor MP, awarded him a community hero of the year award. He is that local. All of a sudden you have got Labor saying how important it is to live in the local community. He moved to Essendon to live within 5 kilometres of his family – of his children and grandchildren – because of Labor’s ring of steel and lockdowns.

But I was really hoping for a contribution from Mr McIntosh so he could speak as well. I know he wanted to speak on how important it is to live in your electorate – not my electorate, your electorate.

We see their infrastructure announcements as well. I have never seen a quicker time period for an infrastructure project than how quickly Major Road Projects Victoria and the Labor government were able to award a builder. We have been waiting for a builder appointment up in Wallan for the ramps for about three or four years. But you get the funding, you award the builder –

Tom McIntosh: On a point of order, Acting President, obviously we are talking about other parts of the state. I believe we are here to talk about Werribee – the great seat of Werribee.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Michael Galea): Mr Mulholland to continue.

Evan MULHOLLAND: Yes, I was actually talking about Werribee because I was making the comparison that all of a sudden when there is a by-election things can happen really quickly. They are desperate for announceables after neglecting the electorate of Werribee for so long. I was doorknocking, as was Mrs McArthur, the day of their hundreds of millions of dollars announcement for Ison Road. It only made people more grumpy, because they know they had the Treasurer as their MP for 10 years, who did nothing to keep pace with growth in terms of infrastructure. Steve Murphy is the man to fix this up. He is the right person for the job. This Labor government wants to put a lithium battery factory in a fire zone and fill the Little River with solar farms. I have to say Catriona Rowntree, who we all know from Getaway, has endorsed Steve Murphy, who is the man who is going to fix this.

I will finish this motion by saying vote one Steve Murphy. I implore this chamber to vote for this motion if you support Werribee over the Suburban Rail Loop. The Labor Party have a choice. It is Werribee or the eastern suburbs and the Suburban Rail Loop.

Council divided on motion:

Ayes (14): Melina Bath, Gaelle Broad, Georgie Crozier, David Davis, Moira Deeming, Renee Heath, Ann-Marie Hermans, Wendy Lovell, Trung Luu, Bev McArthur, Joe McCracken, Nick McGowan, Evan Mulholland, Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell

Noes (21): Ryan Batchelor, John Berger, Lizzie Blandthorn, Katherine Copsey, Enver Erdogan, Jacinta Ermacora, David Ettershank, Michael Galea, Anasina Gray-Barberio, Shaun Leane, Sarah Mansfield, Tom McIntosh, Rachel Payne, Aiv Puglielli, Georgie Purcell, Harriet Shing, Ingrid Stitt, Lee Tarlamis, Sonja Terpstra, Gayle Tierney, Sheena Watt

Motion negatived.