Ms THEOPHANOUS (Northcote) I am pleased to contribute to the North East Link Bill 2020, which forms a vital piece of a very exciting plan, and that plan is for Victoria’s transport infrastructure future—a plan that will see this city and this state prepared for the next century and beyond. Now, I know that in these challenging times, with the outbreak of coronavirus, it is very difficult to turn our minds to what the future will look like, but we have a responsibility to look beyond the hurdles, beyond the horizon, because we will get through this. Life will return to normal, and when it does we know that we will need the systems, the infrastructure and the arrangements in place to not just resume business as usual but grow and to thrive.
The North East Link is a game changer for the inner north. It will take thousands of cars and trucks off local roads and slash travel times for motorists. Residents living in Preston, Thornbury, Northcote, Fairfield and Alphington know how busy our major arterials can be at peak hour. St Georges Road, High Street, Station Street and Grange Road all see the pressure of motorists moving north–south as they make their way in and out of the city. That is part of the pressure of our location, wedged as it is between the CBD and the outer northern suburbs. The North East Link will shift some of that burden, encouraging movement to the east, to get onto the new road and down into the city, freeing up our neighbourhoods for local traffic.
I have spoken before about the burden of government, but governments must make decisions on behalf of those they represent. That is about 5 million Victorians, and we take that seriously. We make decisions on behalf of all Victorians, and when I look across the chamber I wonder whether everyone in this chamber takes the same view. I note The Nationals tend have a very focused view, and that tends to focus on their electorates outside of Melbourne. The Liberals, well, that is a different story again, because we saw last time they had the chance—last time they were given the opportunity by the people of Victoria to govern this state—well, they did not govern at all for Victorians. They did not, largely because they did not govern. They phoned it in, and they hit the snooze button. And when it comes to major transport infrastructure, they still run the standard lines—standard lines that have not changed for a very long time, no matter what the project, no matter how much it improves the lives of Victorians, no matter how many jobs it creates or apprenticeships it delivers. It is hard to listen to because when I look to the major transport infrastructure projects they have built—well, there aren’t any. They turned up and cut the ribbon on projects that they did not fund, and that was it. So if you are not building major infrastructure at all, you are certainly not governing for all Victorians.
Then of course there is the Greens political party. We all know they have no interest in governing, let alone governing for all Victorians. They are focused on themselves, and we learned recently just how low they will sink in the Greens political party on that front when their response to a pandemic was to solicit donations to their party under the guise of helping the most vulnerable through the crisis. Who does that? I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall during that meeting when they sat around to discuss their response to a global health crisis. What question was asked where the answer was, ‘Let’s solicit donations for our party’? And no-one said, ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea’. It is a glimpse of exactly how they think.
Of course, it is not surprising. When it comes to major transport infrastructure the Greens political party have no interest in governing for all Victorians, and there is no better example of this than the member for Prahran’s spray on the North East Link last sitting week and on this bill, where again we saw the virtue bubble at play. They will do anything to stop roads being built—nimbyism dressed up as indignation. I will summarise his comments like this: rail is good, roads are bad. Unfortunately for all of those Victorians who own a car and need a car for their job, to drive to work or to pick up the kids from school, they do not fit the Greens political party virtue bubble. At the last census, two out of three Victorians in work reported that they travel to work by car—two out of three.
And the fact is that the Andrews government does have a plan. It is not just in the Greens’ virtue bubble, because we have a plan that includes all Victorians. We have a plan that includes improving our road network and our rail network and our cycling network. Our plan acknowledges the fact that far more of our modes of public transport actually operate on our roads—buses, trams, taxis, bicycles all travel on our roads; they rely on investment in our roads. I have said it before in this place—my community gets it. They see the virtue bubble for what it is.
And there is another thing that I have said before in this place, and I will say it again. The Chandler Highway bridge project, including the Grange Road level crossing removal, has changed the way my local community moves around. It has changed things for the better. I think I can speak for the member for Ivanhoe, the member for Hawthorn and perhaps I can even safely say the member for Kew in saying the new Chandler Highway bridge is a good project. It has dramatically improved road journeys for individuals and families, it has opened up the prospect of more public transport opportunities through more bus services and it has also greatly enhanced cycling routes. But it is a road project, and road projects do not fit in the Greens virtue bubble so they opposed it. They opposed it at four elections, state and federal—they opposed it every step of the way. True to form they also oppose the North East Link—essentially just because it is a road project. But my community knows that we must upgrade our entire transport network—road and rail—if we are to prepare our state for the future.
My community also knows that the North East Link has huge benefits for our neighbourhoods. They know that for decades there has been an unofficial north-east link, and it runs through their suburbs and those suburbs represented by other members in this house. They know that taking 15 000 trucks per day off local roads is a good thing. They know that 25 kilometres of new and upgraded walking and cycling paths is a good thing. They know that the north-east bicycle corridor between the Chandler Highway and the Merri Creek is a good thing. They know 10 000 jobs is a good thing, and that is before you look at the economic benefits of the improved connectivity for business and freight.
That brings me to the state tolling corporation that this bill facilitates. The legislation introduces a new structure, where a state tolling corporation will be responsible for fixing and collecting toll revenues for the North East Link. We know that one of the great benefits of this road is that it will allow for faster moving traffic and more reliable travel times for freight, and that means that companies like Toll Holdings and Linfox will gain vastly improved journey times between freight terminals. So it is only right that they contribute through tolls. Tolls on roads are not inherently bad things. When done properly they can be very beneficial. When drivers have the choice of using toll roads or using other roads they can be incredibly effective. I come back to my comments about governing and making choices. I am part of a party that believes we should govern for every Victorian, and that means making decisions that are in the interest of all Victorians. The state tolling corporation allows the government to keep greater control of the operation and management of toll roads, and it allows the government choice on behalf of Victorians and having dividends returned to ratepayers. It gives government the option to make decisions in the future that are balanced in favour of Victorians.
In my final minutes I want to acknowledge that major infrastructure projects like North East Link are not currently front of mind. Indeed linking and connecting with each other may seem a more and more difficult prospect as we face the challenge of coronavirus ahead. I acknowledge the burden that we are all carrying at a practical level but also at a spiritual level as we feel the weight of what is to come and as many of our hearts go out to families and friends abroad. I want to thank my community for their calm and their determination to get through a challenge that we have not seen in our lifetime.
I know that people are worried about what coronavirus means and they are uncertain about the future, but all over the electorate I am seeing acts of kindness and camaraderie in a joint effort to do what is needed to protect ourselves and each other. I want to say thank you to all of our healthcare workers and to all the doctors and staff at the clinics in my community, such as Your Community Health and all the private clinics. There are no words to express the gratitude that you deserve. Thank you to all the teachers, staff, cleaners and volunteers and to the parents and indeed the students at all our wonderful schools. Thank you to the kinder and childcare workers. Thank you to the workers in our supermarkets; I know you are dealing with a lot right now. Thank you to the organisations providing services to the vulnerable—organisations like CareWorks and our neighbourhood houses. Thank you to the carers and our aged-care workers. As a community, our combined efforts in heeding the advice of the medical experts will reduce the impact of this pandemic and it will save lives.
Of course, we know that with work comes dignity and that physical distancing and home quarantine means that for many, many people they are facing the prospect of no work. My community has many casual workers and normally a vibrant small business and hospitality and art scene. I want to send my gratitude to the businesses and organisations in my community doing what they can to keep staff employed. I know we are working on ways to support you through this. To everyone in my community and others: thank you and take care of yourselves and of others from a safe distance.
Finally, please remember that physical distancing and home quarantine need not mean social isolation. We can still check in on our friends, loved ones and neighbours by phone or technology. We can and will get through this. I commend the bill to the house.
