Thursday, 16 October 2025

 Danny PEARSON (Essendon – Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs, Minister for Finance) (14:20): I rise to update the house on the incredible Metro Tunnel and what it means for jobs and businesses here in Victoria. When the Metro Tunnel opens in December, businesses on St Kilda Road will have customers and workers delivered straight to their front door, and for the very first time nurses, doctors and researchers will be able to get off the train at the beautiful and dare I say exquisite Parkville station – this canopy of light – and head to work at our world-class hospitals and medical research facilities, supporting a sector which employs 30,000 people. The Melbourne CBD would simply be unimaginable without the city loop. Those stations completely transformed our city and created a legacy of thousands upon thousands of jobs, and they provide a huge economic benefit to businesses that surround them. The reality is that, whenever government invests in infrastructure, property values increase in the surrounding areas. Flagstaff station opened in 1985. It is pretty clear which property is worth more: one next door or one a block away.

Unlike Sir Rupert Hamer, those opposite have no vision for Victoria. They abandoned this project, and their mates in Canberra did too, so we decided to go it alone. And thank goodness we did, because come early December, Victorians will harvest the benefits, boosting the productivity of our city, connecting more Victorians to jobs, education and housing. Those opposite wasted four years on this project. They said it was a hoax. They described it as being a Berlin Wall. They said it was an absolute disaster. But thanks to the Allan Labor government, the Metro Tunnel will be opened in early December. This project is more than just a transport link. It proves that Victoria builds, grows and leads. We are getting on with it, we are creating jobs, we are building for the future and we are keeping our great state moving forward.