Thursday, 3 April 2025

 Richard WELCH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:18): (1590) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Premier. The budget is coming up next month, and it will be a very difficult budget for the government. Right now we can see that we are in a federal election, which might as well be known as the bail-out election, where any number of state responsibilities are being bailed out kindly by the taxpayers of New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia. Thank you very much for fixing our roads, because we have got no money. More than that, we heard all this week about the cost of the Suburban Rail Loop. We heard all about the lack of funding for the SRL, we heard about how flawed the value capture process for the SRL is and we heard how Infrastructure Australia are saying we should develop an exit strategy from the SRL because it is going to bankrupt us. And Standard & Poor’s told us that of course it is going to affect our credit rating. But you will not do any of that because you have painted yourself into such a small corner that you will always choose the SRL over Victorians.

You had a choice between funding the health services and the SRL, and you chose the SRL. You had a choice between funding the police and the SRL, and you chose the SRL. You had a choice between ambulance services and the SRL, and you chose the SRL. You had a choice for bail laws that worked, but you did not choose that, you chose the SRL, because you cannot afford to fix the prisons. You had a choice for Landcare funding and you had a choice for the right of objection and tree canopy in my community, but you chose the SRL. You had a choice between the SRL and infrastructure for our outer communities, and you chose the SRL. You had a choice for female change rooms in my community; you did not choose that, you chose the SRL. You had a choice between the state’s debt and our expanding interest payments and the SRL, and you chose the SRL. You had a choice between the state’s credit rating and the SRL, and you chose the SRL. You had a choice for Donnybrook Road, Yan Yean Road and Mickleham Road, and you chose the SRL. In fact in every walk of life in Victoria every problem that we face now you can trace back one way or another to your choice to choose the SRL over Victorians. Premier, the action I seek from you is to do the right thing for Victorians and choose Victorians over the SRL. Cancel the SRL.