Melbourne Airport rail link
David SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (14:30): My question is to the Minister for Transport Infrastructure. Instead of wasting $67 million to pause Melbourne Airport rail, why didn’t the Labor government use this money to reverse its cuts to 24-hour community pharmacies?
Danny PEARSON (Essendon – Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC) (14:30): I am genuinely pleased by the question from the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. The government indicated that we were going to build an airport rail link, and the government has spent three years trying to negotiate with APAM, the owners of that airport rail link. What we wanted to do while that work was ongoing was to do the work in relation to the route allocation and making sure the service relocations were done, and that is work that has been done. You would expect us to make sure that we kept that corridor free and that we could remove those services so that in the event the green light was agreed to we could then commence that work. Clearly as a consequence, despite the fact that we spent three years trying to get an agreement with APAM, we have not been successful in that. The Commonwealth commissioned a review, which was finalised late last year. The Commonwealth has indicated that it will be appointing an independent arbiter or mediator to do that work. We are awaiting the appointment of that person. We will deal with that individual in good faith. So it is only fair and reasonable that while we are waiting we demobilise those workers and not waste taxpayers funding. We await the outcome of the appointment of the mediator.
David SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (14:32): Have any contracts linked to Melbourne Airport rail been cancelled?
Danny PEARSON (Essendon – Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC) (14:32): We have gone on and done the work, unlike those opposite, who printed fake tickets when they were last in power, saying that an airport rail link was coming. It was just a party of confusion.
Members interjecting.
The SPEAKER: The member for South Barwon can leave the chamber for an hour.
Member for South Barwon withdrew from chamber.
James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the minister was asked a very, very simple question that even he, I am sure, can answer.
The SPEAKER: The Minister for Transport Infrastructure will come back to the question.
Danny PEARSON: The Deputy Leader of the Opposition asked me about the airport rail link. What I have said in the answer to the substantive question is the fact that we have tried to negotiate in good faith to build an airport rail link to an airport. We have not been able to reach agreement with APAM, and those negotiations have been paused while we await the appointment of a mediator that the Commonwealth is going to appoint.