Thursday, 10 September 2026

 Gabrielle WILLIAMS (Dandenong – Minister for Education, Minister for Skills and Training, Minister for First Peoples, Minister for Women and Gender Equality) (10:08): I rise today to celebrate a milestone for my community, the Webster Street level crossing removal project, which is just 12 ‍days away from completion. From 22 September my community will have a new and safer way to get around Dandenong. This level crossing was one of the most congested before we came to government, but after removing the boom gates, we have now been able to build an underpass that creates better connections between Cheltenham and Hammond roads all the way through to Lonsdale Street, or Princes Highway, as it is always also called. This helps local families and helps local workers and businesses as well to get where they need to go. Travel times during the morning peak will be significantly reduced, meaning less time in the car for locals and more time with the ones that they love. We have also built a new walking and cycling path, connecting to the Dandenong Creek Trail and providing safer and more accessible options for active transport.

This project is being delivered two years ahead of schedule. It is delivering better and safer journeys and making my community more livable as a result. Under the Liberals, investment in Dandenong simply stopped, and they are promising to do it all over again, with $40 billion in cuts in the pipeline. A Liberal–One Nation coalition will leave Dandenong worse off. They will cut projects like this one, they will build nothing and they will sack workers, and they will rip money out of education and healthcare services too.