Tuesday, 28 October 2025

 Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, Minister for Housing and Building, Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts) (12:38): I rise today to give an update on everybody across the way’s favourite project, the government’s commitment to deliver the Suburban Rail Loop. Last week it was a delight to join caucus colleagues and friends at the Burwood site, where we will be launching tunnel-boring machines next year and where Terra Verde has been undertaking major construction since last month, to announce the preferred consortium, being Place Alliance, that will be party to negotiations as part of the Stations Alliance North contract. This contract will deliver state-of-the-art underground stations at Glen Waverley, Burwood and Box Hill, radically changing the way that Victorians move, live and work across our great state and also providing people with more opportunities to find a home within walking distance of schools, public transport, education and health care. As part of the SRL, these new stations will also support the delivery of 70,000 homes.

We are building for our future and setting Victoria up for the next generation while the daily lottery that determines the Liberals’ position on this project continues. I am sure it was not just those on the other side of this house who were surprised to hear that the new shadow minister for the SRL is someone who recently declared:

If the project’s commencing, the project goes ahead …

But let us not get too excited, because the Liberals remain reckless and divided, and there is nothing they hate more than having policy certainty except for each other. The newly appointed Shadow Treasurer – the most recent newly appointed Shadow Treasurer – recently said:

… we will pause and review the contracts, and the construction arrangements and the finance arrangements related to the Suburban Rail Loop.

Victorians, frankly – this is about the 10th position in recent memory – deserve better than 10 positions on a project that will actually deliver jobs, housing and infrastructure. We have got a clear and decisive vision. We are getting on with doing the job and building the Suburban Rail Loop now and for future generations.