Wednesday, 18 June 2025

Department of Treasury and Finance

Budget papers 2025–26

Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (17:24): I rise to speak on the Victorian state budget 2025–26, or the entire budget really, but in particular budget paper 3 and budget paper 4, which cover the service delivery and the state capital program, especially in the field of transport. Before long, this year people will be lining up for the opening of the Metro Tunnel. The lines will be longer, I dare say, even than the lines to buy a new Labubu. But when the Metro Tunnel opens this year it is going to be fantastic to see the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines united with the Sunbury line, providing a new cross-city corridor through the city. We are, in a very short space of time – in fact this Saturday – going to see some more trial run services for the Metro Tunnel operations just this very weekend. We are going to see trains running through the tunnel, taking passengers off at Caulfield or I believe Footscray at the other end, and then continuing to run through to simulate more real-life train operations – one closer step to activating the Metro Tunnel, to operationalising and switching on a very significant piece of state infrastructure. It is a piece of state infrastructure that has been solely funded by the state government, because of course we got absolutely zero support from the federal Liberal government, who continued to neglect Victoria throughout its entire nine years in office, giving us less than 10 per cent of the national infrastructure spend despite us having more than 25 per cent of the national population. Thankfully, we now have a Prime Minister who is from Sydney but is not for Sydney, who is for Victoria just as much as he is for the rest of the country, and we see that with the continued infrastructure investment. I see my colleagues Dr Heath and Ms Bath, and I am sure that quietly they know that to be true as well. They know that to be true – that their federal colleagues were leaving Victoria behind for the nine years of their rotten and ineffective government.

Unlike that government, we do have a government now that does support Victorian infrastructure projects, that has supported and committed more than $2 billion for the Suburban Rail Loop, another project which features heavily in budget paper 4. I know those opposite like to dismiss that as some sort of insignificant figure, but it is a very significant figure, a very significant commitment to the people of Victoria that their colleagues across the aisle just do not seem to care about. The fact that they keep losing seats in Victoria, maybe that has something to do with the fact that they will not do anything for Victoria. Maybe they will work that out one day. But in the meantime, how good is it that we have a federal Labor government that knows where Victoria is on a map and that continues to provide that investment.

We will have in 10 years time the new Suburban Rail Loop connecting communities not just in the south-east and the east but indeed providing that connectivity for people all over Melbourne and all over Victoria too. If you are coming from Gippsland to access the jobs hubs or the universities, if you live in the western suburbs, if you live around Sunshine, you will be able to get the train straight through to Clayton and change for the SRL straight to Monash. Opening up these opportunities, with the agglomeration effects that this will open up for all Victorians, is a huge and significant investment. Indeed we saw discussion in the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee last week in relation to service upgrades as well. There will be significant service upgrades as part of the new Metro Tunnel. I know Mr Batchelor is very excited about the Sandringham line, which is getting dramatically increased services as well.

Sheena Watt interjected.

Michael GALEA: And indeed Ms Watt is keen to point out the Upfield and Craigieburn lines are getting further services as well, as indeed will the west and the south-east on the Metro Tunnel itself. But it is not just trains, of course, it is also about those very important things such as bus services. Whether you live in Aintree or Rockbank, which are getting new bus services, improved bus services that will connect you both to your local station but also to the Sunbury line for the Metro Tunnel; whether you are in the south-east with the continuation of the extended routes; or whether it is the new route 798 in Clyde North or route 831 coming out very shortly as well; in every corner of the state we are investing in public transport projects so that we can deliver and invest in the public transport services using that infrastructure.

I know sometimes the Liberal members get a bit confused about the operationalisation of these projects, and yes, you do not build projects and not run services. As the Premier said, you do not open a pub and not serve beer, and it is exactly the same with these projects. All Victorians, I am sure, will be getting behind them, and the fervour and excitement will be even greater than the excitement for the Labubus, as I said. There are some great projects opening very soon.