Wednesday, 30 July 2025

Suburban Rail Loop

Richard WELCH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (19:20): (1785) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop. Last Friday the government released around 600 public submissions it had received in response to the draft structure plans. I will draw your attention to two in particular. First, Monash University raised significant concerns about the impact of the SRL on its Monash technology precinct. Monash’s submission called out the SRL for marking the existing university land for development without its consent and said that the proposals would hinder the university’s ability to pursue growth and realise its strategic objectives. It also said the introduction of specific control overlay 15 to protect the underground infrastructure of the SRL East project has already imposed an encumbrance on the university campus planning and development.

In a second and separate submission the CSIRO flagged similar concerns about the identification of its own land being unilaterally declared as a strategic site, as well as the potential for electromagnetic interference from the SRL on sensitive research equipment, including the impact of vibration noise on image quality of its transmission electron microscopes. Of course, the government has form in failing to consider fundamental technical issues and refusing to listen to real concerns about the impact of its transport projects. Just consider the MRI machines and the other sensitive medical equipment in the Parkville precinct, and how the government just blundered on regardless. Clearly now there is also concern that the hapless SRL will have the same impact on the Australian Synchrotron, the heart hospital and similar equipment.

This government has shown time and time and time again it is not capable of planning projects; it is not interested in listening to communities, businesses or institutions; and when the consequences come home to roost, it does not care whose money it wastes. Of course there is no confidence at all that government will listen this time. There are another 598-odd submissions, which the government will no doubt ignore if it is allowed. The action I seek from the minister is to explain why Monash University’s and the CSIRO’s concerns are unfounded, and if they are not unfounded, how the government can justify proceeding with this project.