Wednesday, 1 April 2026

 Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (17:30): I rise tonight to speak on budget paper 3 in particular of the 2025–26 budget. When it comes to cost-of-living relief this is a government that is committed to ensuring that we are giving Victorians every support that they need. One of the great encapsulations of that is the power saving bonus, the latest round of which closed just a few hours ago, late last night. I have spoken to many constituents of mine in the south-east who availed themselves of this initiative, and it was great to see such a high take-up across the state, including from my electorate. Another measure is free public transport for the month of April. This is another important initiative. It is not going to fix everything, but it is an important shot in the arm for people who are doing it tough. I spoke to someone – not a constituent but from just outside my electorate – earlier today, who said what a difference that $200 was going to make for him, being able to put some more fuel in the car to get groceries and have that extra bit of a buffer to sustain him through what could still be a very challenging time.

It is obviously a very difficult situation that we potentially find ourselves in as a state, as a nation and as a global economy right now, and with issues that are far beyond the control of any state or federal government in Australia it is important that we do what we can. Free public transport for a month is not going to fix everything, but it is something that we can do in the short term to provide cost-of-living relief for Victorians that need it. From early reports we know that the take-up of the initiative has been very strong. We have seen an uplift in, for example, train patronage across different parts of metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria. With the new Metro Tunnel connecting the south-east and with the Frankston line, as a result, going back into the city loop, there has never been a better time to check out the train. My constituents in the south-east have the benefit of recently upgraded bus services such as the 798 and the 831 going deeper into the new estates in Clyde North, connecting these new communities to the rail network at Berwick or at Merinda Park or at Cranbourne. Free public transport is a very important initiative. Whilst we see continuing global conflicts and instability, it is good to see that Labor governments in Australia are focused on providing support not at some theoretical future point but now.

I acknowledge the federal government this week, as a result of those national cabinet discussions, for that halving of the fuel excise that has come in from today. It will take a few days still for us to see the benefit at the pump, but a reduction of 26 cents per litre will make a very big difference, especially for those who for whatever reason are not able to use public transport during this month of free public transport, especially our farming communities. The Victorian Farmers Federation has come out welcoming the free public transport pledge because of the impact it can have in potentially keeping demand down on petrol and keeping reserves of fuel for those that need it most – for farmers and for those who do not have other forms of transport available to them. It is really critical that they can continue to do what they do best: putting food on our tables, exporting food and providing very, very important services and goods for us all.

As we navigate the waters of the next few weeks and months, however long this may take, this is not Australia’s conflict. Whilst we are happy to see the fall of hideous despotic terrorists, it is not in Australia’s interest to see global shipping channels shut down. Nor is it in anyone’s interest to see anybody lifting sanctions on equally evil terrorist regimes such as those based in Moscow, and I would hope to see that our federal politicians continue to hold their nerve and their spine in not looking to release sanctions on those countries which seek to profit from death and destruction and from the victimisation of millions of people. We do have, as I understand, sufficient supplies in the interim and in the near future, and with legislation that will be in this place tomorrow I hope to see a bit more surety and stability in the ongoing fuel supply situation, which will give the state government better oversight of an accurate day-to-day picture of fuel levels that will help us to manage this very difficult period for Victorians. But as we navigate the period we will continue to do what we need to do to provide meaningful cost-of-living relief.