Tuesday, 2 December 2025

 Melissa HORNE (Williamstown – Minister for Ports and Freight, Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Minister for Health Infrastructure) (14:16): Sunday was a historic day with the opening of the Metro Tunnel, a transformational project that is the largest addition to the public transport network in 40 years. In just a few weeks time we will be making the largest change to the road network in decades with the opening of the West Gate Tunnel. These monumental projects make it easier for people to move around our ever-growing city, be they accessing more frequent and more reliable public transport services or saving travel time on our roads. These projects will deliver massive benefits for commuters. They support and create jobs while helping Victorians get to work, home and school. The West Gate Tunnel will deliver a massive productivity dividend by getting trucks more efficiently in and out of Australia’s busiest container port and off local roads. The freight industry will benefit from the West Gate Tunnel through direct connections to the port at Mackenzie Road and Appleton Dock Road, bypassing 17 sets of traffic lights to keep heavy vehicles moving. The local community will benefit from 24/7 truck bans on six local roads in the inner west, plus a night-time and weekend curfew on Williamstown Road, thanks to the tireless advocacy of the member for Footscray Katie Hall and the local community.

We know that building infrastructure delivers results that Victorians want and need. Already we have seen the Wurundjeri Way extension embraced by commuters, with more than 10,000 people a day choosing to bypass Melbourne’s CBD to continue their journey to the south-east. It saves people time and gets them to where they need to go faster. The excitement in the community is palpable, with 70,000 people choosing to ride the new Melbourne Metro on the weekend and two weeks ago 50,000 people participating in the West Gate Tunnel’s discovery open day. There is little doubt that the people of the western suburbs and right across Victoria know that on this side of the house we are creating jobs and building infrastructure.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Point Cook can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Point Cook withdrew from chamber.