Tuesday, 16 November 2021

Transport infrastructure

Mr DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan—Leader of the Opposition) (13:00): I want to talk about the way in which the transport infrastructure portfolio is operating and in particular the concerns I have about the arrogant approach being adopted by the level crossing removal authority and the Major Transport Infrastructure Authority—whether it be in the Heatherton stabling yard with the extraordinary overriding of local communities there and the loss of the chain of parks and green wedge land or whether it be the extraordinary activities that are happening in Mont Albert and Surrey Hills, the extraordinary decisions to ruin local parkland, to tear out trees, to do so to remove one station and to override a local community in the way they are behaving. And this is occurring all around the state. There are an arrogant minister and an arrogant Premier who are pushing and at the same time not listening and not refining projects to get the very best outcome that is possible. I referred just a moment ago in the chamber to the level crossing removals at Mentone and Parkdale. That is a similar case study, with local members making one promise before the election and after the election actually introducing the sky rail. The Minister for Transport Infrastructure made promises before the election, which she has broken cleanly and wrongly, to the people of Parkdale and Mentone.