Tuesday, 17 March 2026

 Darren CHEESEMAN (South Barwon) (14:16): My question is to the Premier. Victorians have watched in horror as the war has taken place in the Persian Gulf. There are profound consequences for the cost of living for all Victorians, for our farmers and for our logistics industry. Premier, will you make public transport free to help with the cost of living and to help protect our important farming communities and our important logistics industries?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:17): Acknowledging the member for South Barwon’s question, he has rightly identified the seriousness of the global conflict that is occurring in Iran and how it is having impacts globally, including here in Victoria. There are global inflationary pressures that are being faced around the world, and it is understandable that families and households here in Victoria are looking with great concern and worry both about what the escalation’s impact is going to be not just on fuel prices but, as we know, the potential knock-on impacts it is going to have across a whole range of essential goods and services that working people and families rely on. Further to that, we are all waiting to see in about 10 or 11 minutes time what the Reserve Bank will be deciding in terms of the potential of an interest rate rise.

The last thing that families need right now is additional pressure placed on their household budgets, so I can understand – and any member of this place who is focused on understanding where Victorian families and households are focused right now understands – that cost-of-living pressures are the number one issue. We on this side of the house certainly understand that, which is why there have been a range of cost-of-living measures, like a power saving bonus that is available right now, like free public transport for kids under the age of 18, like breakfast programs that are available to kids in our schools and of course like the Servo Saver that I referred to earlier.

But we know that we need to take further action, which is why this morning I chaired the security and emergency management committee of cabinet following extensive work that the minister for energy has been leading over the last couple of weeks to put our state in a state of readiness, asking departments and agencies to enact continuity plans, because should the Iran crisis and conflict worsen and should it put pressure on our fuel supply then we do need to be ready with further measures and actions, which is why the actions I outlined in my earlier ministers statement about providing further support to our anti-fuel-price-gouging program is a way of supporting families and households.

In regard to making public transport free, we have already got an extensive range of support for kids under the age of 18, for seniors on weekends and for early birds as well. We will continue to consider from the starting point that it is our Labor government that understands the pressures that are on families and household budgets, and we will continue to look at ways to act and support households.

 Darren CHEESEMAN (South Barwon) (14:20): Thank you, Premier. My further question is: will the Premier please look to bring forward urgent additional bus services, particularly for our regions and our outer suburbs, to help provide transport options for Victorians who are experiencing this cost-of-living crisis?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:20): I have no announcements to make today about consideration of additional bus services and public transport services more broadly. We have already, if I can just note, at the start of this year with the introduction of the 1200 additional timetabled services as a result of the Metro Tunnel, which also included some additional train services for regional Victoria, increased substantially the public transport services in this state. Some, like the Leader of the Opposition, called our investment in the Metro Tunnel a waste on the day that it opened. We see investment in public transport as an investment in Victorians, which is why for kids we have made it free, which is why we have upgraded every regional rail line in the state and which is why we built the Metro Tunnel and we have removed level crossings. I thank those workers who have delivered those services. We will continue to look at ways to invest in our good, strong public transport system.