Thursday, 3 August 2023

Rail infrastructure

David SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (14:12): My question is to the Deputy Premier. After the election the Deputy Premier said:

Victorians voted for airport rail … They voted for new electrified train lines to Melton and Wyndham Vale.

Reports now confirm in government documents that the Deputy Premier has broken an election commitment. Why did the Deputy Premier mislead the house yesterday when she said these reports were ‘wrong’?

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Caulfield, are you directing your question to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure or the Acting Premier?

David SOUTHWICK: Acting Premier.

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop) (14:13): Only the Andrews Labor government is focused on making investment in rail projects that support our growing city and state. I will repeat what I said yesterday to the member for Caulfield, and I have repeated this earlier today as well. It might come as a bitter surprise to the member for Caulfield, but the –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! I think once a question has been asked it would be appropriate to listen to the answer.

Jacinta ALLAN: As I said yesterday, the reports in the Age yesterday were wrong. Member for Caulfield, the repeated reports in the Age today are also wrong. The documents that are referred to do not reflect final government decisions. What does reflect final government decisions is our ongoing investment in rail infrastructure across Victoria. I was referring to this yesterday when I was talking about the Metro Tunnel. The reason why we can continue to invest in rail services is because we are unlocking the bottleneck at the heart of Victoria’s train network by building the Metro Tunnel. We are seeing test trains running through the Metro Tunnel – they are running through the Metro Tunnel as we get on and deliver that project a full year ahead of schedule.

We have delivered the Ballarat line upgrade. We are working on the Melton –

Steve McGhie interjected.

Jacinta ALLAN: I know the member for Melton was waiting for his moment. We are delivering to the Melton community, making the Melton community level crossing free. On the Wyndham Vale corridor, we are building improvements into the Wyndham Vale corridor and putting longer trains on that corridor, because what we know from those communities is that they want more services and more seats now. As we work towards progressive improvements across Victoria’s rail network and as we progressively improve the rail network in the western suburbs, we are providing more services. Whether it is the extra 200 weekly services in and out of Melton, the longer train services on Wyndham Vale or making the Werribee corridor and the Sunbury corridor level crossing free, it is only the Andrews Labor government that will continue to invest in these vital rail services.

David Southwick: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, this is not a ministers statement.

Mary-Anne Thomas interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the House will come to order. I would like to hear the point of order.

David Southwick: The question specifically related to the broken promise around electrified train lines to Melton and Wyndham Vale, and I ask the minister to come back to answering that question.

The SPEAKER: The Acting Premier was being relevant to the question that was asked. I ask members not to repeat questions in their points of order. The Acting Premier has concluded her answer.

David SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (14:16): Currently commuters in Melbourne’s west need to wait 20 minutes for a train in peak hour. The government promised train lines every 4 minutes for peak-hour commuters in Melton, Ardeer, Deer Park and Caroline Springs. Why has the Deputy Premier broken an evolving commitment?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop) (14:17): Central to being able to deliver more train services to Victoria’s train network is the Metro Tunnel – the Metro Tunnel that is a full year ahead of schedule, the Metro Tunnel that has been opposed, with attempts to block and stop the Metro Tunnel that were taken by those opposite every single step of the way.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Assistant Treasurer will come to order.

Jacinta ALLAN: The member for Caulfield mentioned Melton. We have talked a lot about Melton this week, and we cannot talk enough about Melton, because we are making Melton level crossing free. We are building the Melton line upgrade to provide longer trains and more seats. But the member for Caulfield also mentioned Deer Park, and I had the great opportunity a couple of months ago to visit Deer Park with the member for Kororoit. She knows a thing or two about the train network, I can tell that to the member for Caulfield.

Paul Edbrooke interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Frankston!

David Southwick: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance again, none of what the minister is saying will deliver 4-minute trains to Melbourne’s west, and I ask you to bring the minister back to the question.

Paul Edbrooke interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! This is your second warning, member for Frankston.

Jacinta ALLAN: On the point of order, the member for Caulfield just said that none of what I have been referring to will add extra trains. Metro Tunnel is exactly what will deliver more train services to places like Footscray and to places like Sunshine. The member for Caulfield needs a lesson in the rail network.

The SPEAKER: That is not on the point of order, Acting Premier. Has the Acting Premier concluded her supplementary answer?

Jacinta ALLAN: Yes.