Tuesday, 2 June 2026

 Sonja TERPSTRA (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (15:30): I want to acknowledge a significant milestone reached on the construction of the North East Link, with tunnel-boring machine Zelda breaking through at Bulleen recently. With this, the excavation of the northbound tunnel on the project is complete, whilst excavation continues in the southbound tunnel, with TBM Gillian expected to break through in the coming months. When completed, the two three-lane tunnels will link Watsonia and Bulleen, providing seamless access onto the Eastern Freeway. These tunnels will benefit not only the local community but the whole state by providing a direct route for up to 15,000 trucks per day travelling between Melbourne’s north and east. This will greatly reduce congestion throughout the North-Eastern Metropolitan Region, allowing for commuters to get to and from their destinations faster than before. Along with the work on the Eastern Freeway and the M80 ring-road upgrades, each day the North East Link is one step closer to completion.

I would like to use this opportunity to thank residents in the North-Eastern Metropolitan Region who have been putting up with disruptions, roadworks and traffic delays in order that the project can be delivered. But I do know that people in my region definitely cannot wait to see this project completed, because it will mean so much more to them to have local streets returned back to them. I also want to thank the thousands of workers who have worked tirelessly on this project, because without those workers and their skills, this project would not be built. It is only a Labor government that provides secure, well-paid work on projects such as the North East Link. That also then in turn supports families with cost-of-living pressures.