Tuesday, 14 May 2024

 Richard WELCH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (20:31): (883) My adjournment is to the Treasurer, now that we have heard this evening that the federal government is not funding the Suburban Rail Loop. Last week the Treasurer delivered a cruel budget when Victorians were most in need of support, when we are living in a health crisis and violent crime waves are happening across Victoria, especially in my electorate. Meanwhile the government has cut funding where it was needed most. To name a few, community crime prevention was cut by 46 per cent, public health was cut by $207 million, ambulance services were cut by $20 million and cancer research, as we have all heard, was cut by 75 per cent. They broke promises to upgrade 29 schools across Victoria, and shamefully, family violence service delivery was cut by $29 million. Now that the SRL is not funded, surely the Treasurer must consider pausing it – because we all know that children do not get educated in tunnels, families do not get housed in tunnels, people do not play sport in tunnels and ambulance services are not run out of tunnels. My question to the Treasurer is: now that the SRL is not funded and you have got no way to fund it, surely you should repair the budget, pause the SRL and put the funding into crime prevention, public health and family violence service delivery.