Tuesday, 1 April 2025

Donnybrook Road, Kalkallo

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (03:29): (1548) My adjournment is for the Minister for Transport Infrastructure. I want to speak for about the 23rd or 24th time in Parliament about Donnybrook Road in my electorate. Previously the Minister for Transport Infrastructure refused to respond to questions about Donnybrook Road, because she said it is not in her portfolio. Well, tickle me surprised, I saw the Minister for Transport Infrastructure alongside Anthony Albanese at Donnybrook Road welcoming Labor’s B-grade announcement of $125 million toward Donnybrook Road. I would like to inform the minister that she was there welcoming a B-grade announcement of $125 million – to try to save Rob Mitchell, the member for McEwen – to blow up and signalise an intersection of a roundabout and slip lane this state government only installed and upgraded at the end of 2023. This highlights the patchwork incompetence and neglect that has occurred under this state Labor government. Let us not forget the history when it comes to Donnybrook Road. Labor hate developer contribution plans. They reversed our approach to the Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution Fund, which means that residents cannot have infrastructure before and as people move in, but after. When the Liberals were in government we signed a developer contribution plan, when the developer was building Mickleham, to duplicate the Mickleham side of Donnybrook Road – a beautiful four-lane highway. The most this government has ever contributed to the good people of Mickleham is a mothball quarantine facility. That is all they have contributed to the people of Mickleham. Now you have got the transport infrastructure minister welcoming $125 million, not to duplicate the bridge over the Hume, which is what residents desperately want, but to duplicate the bridge over Merri Creek, signalise an intersection and blow up a roundabout they only just installed.

I seek the action of the minister to ask if she welcomes the announcement by Peter Dutton today that a coalition federal government will commit $192 billion to duplicate the bridge over the Hume, to fully duplicate Donnybrook Road, reinvesting the $2.2 billion from the Suburban Rail Loop. But I do not know whether that is for the Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop or the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, because the Minister for Transport Infrastructure seems to be cleaning up all the Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop’s mess. But this could not have been done without the advocacy of Jason McClintock, the Liberal candidate for McEwen, and Usman Ghani, the Liberal candidate for Calwell, and the shadow infrastructure minister Bridget McKenzie as well. I seek the action of the minister to welcome the coalition’s announcement.