Thursday, 3 August 2023

Rail infrastructure

Moira DEEMING (Western Metropolitan) (12:27): (222) My question is for the minister representing the Minister for Public Transport. Those of us who have studied literature and politics will be familiar with the term ‘doublespeak’, which refers to language that deliberately distorts, disguises, obscures, hides or reverses the meaning of words. Indeed doublespeak appears to be the primary dialect of this modern Labor government, who have said that breaking their election commitment to build new rail lines for Melton and Wyndham Vale is not a broken promise but rather an evolving commitment. Given that the common understanding of the word ‘evolving’ means changing and the common understanding of the word ‘commitment’ is a pledge or promise to do something in the future, can the minister please kindly define the difference between a commitment and an evolving commitment?

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Water, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Equality) (12:28): Thank you, Mrs Deeming, for that question. I suspect that that may well be more appropriately a question for the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure rather than public transport. Perhaps we can seek some guidance on that. In any event, what I will do is seek a response for you in accordance with the standing orders.

Moira DEEMING (Western Metropolitan) (12:28): Thank you so much. I appreciate that. My supplementary, presumably to the same minister, is: could that minister please provide a guarantee, or only an evolving guarantee, that these rail lines will ever be built at all?

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Water, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Equality) (12:28): Thank you again, Mrs Deeming, for that question. I will again seek an answer for you from the relevant minister in accordance with the standing orders.