Tuesday, 5 May 2026

 Gabrielle WILLIAMS (Dandenong – Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Minister for Public and Active Transport, Minister for Women and Girls) (12:10): We know how important public transport is for Victorians, and with household budgets under pressure we are making accessing public transport even easier and making it a real, genuine option to leave the car at home. We made public transport free for the month of April, and we have extended that now until the end of May for everybody, every mode, every day, everywhere in the state. And from June we are making fares half-price for the rest of the year for regular public transport users. That is a saving of over a thousand dollars – a thousand dollars back into household budgets, where they are needed.

We can only offer this because we have invested in tens of thousands of extra bus services, train services and tram services and the infrastructure that has unlocked those services, and our work will not stop. This budget delivers another $200 million for additional train and bus services across our network. We have funded more trains more often on the Mernda line, the Hurstbridge line and the Belgrave, Lilydale, Glen Waverley and Alamein lines – extra services made possible by the Metro Tunnel. We are also delivering more services on the Shepparton line following the completion of the Shepparton line upgrade, and we have invested in more capacity on one of our busiest corridors in the network, the Wyndham Vale line.

We will not leave it thin. We are giving Victorians more options to leave the car at home, with free public transport and more services, and we are saving Victorians money when they need those savings the most. On this side of the house we will do all we can to help Victorians right now. Meanwhile, those opposite promise to cut. They promise cuts to those who need support.