Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

A seamless commute to work, school drop-off or just down to the shops to get the family's groceries can mean the difference between a positive start to your day or a stress-filled morning that cascades into a stress-filled day. As our cities grow and develop and our suburbs transform, our roads inevitably feel the toll of our growing population as the epidemic of congestion spreads across the country. Each moment that is spent in traffic at a traffic light or on a gridlocked highway is time spent away from our families, our jobs and the things that make us all happy and proud to live in this beautiful country. Congestion-busting infrastructure is not only an investment in improving our lives today but an investment in our future as a country.

Constituents in my electorate of Higgins have spoken to me of the daily challenges they face with regard to congestion. It's a common topic for anyone who lives in Melbourne. The Morrison government has committed to a record $100 billion infrastructure investment program to help bust congestion across Australia. This includes a $3 billion Victorian congestion package. I'm proud to say that locally, in my electorate of Higgins, there will be a $260 million investment to fund the removal of the Glenferrie Road level crossing at Kooyong station. In a 2013 VicRoads study, the Glenferrie Road level crossing in my electorate of Higgins was listed as one of the 20 high-priority level crossings to be removed. In the Victorian Auditor-General's December 2017 report on managing the level crossing removal program, this crossing was noted to be one of the most dangerous and congested level crossings. It is the last one in Melbourne that has the dangerous mix of rail, road, pedestrians and trams at one crossing. Simply put, it is an accident waiting to happen. Despite recommendations by experts over many years, this level crossing has not been included in the Victorian state government's Level Crossing Removal Project. I'm proud to have fought for the removal of this dangerous crossing and even prouder that the Morrison government has stepped up to help decongest a road that services tens of thousands of motorists across southern Melbourne each and every day. We've also committed $10 million to a business plan to assess the removal of level crossings across the Glen Waverley Line, and that includes Kooyong station. Such lifestyle-changing projects are only made possible because of our government's strong economic management.

However, in order to improve the flow of our cities and better the lives of all Australians, governments at every level need to invest in congestion-busting infrastructure to provide the best outcomes for our citizens. It is disappointing to see, time and again, that not all levels of government have made such projects a priority. Politics should play no part in working towards an improved way of life for all our constituents. I call on the state government to accept our federal funding with goodwill and to work with us for the best outcome for the people of Higgins and Victoria more broadly. When roads are congested the cost of transporting goods and the price for all employees to get to work increases. Congestion is not just a commuter frustration, it's also an economic burden to our country.

Australians deserve a pragmatic and strategic approach to ensure that the transport pressures on our roads are eased, and congestion busting is just one of those. Since coming to government, the Morrison government has committed more than $27 billion to support transport infrastructure projects in my state of Victoria alone. We have led the way in Victoria by putting funding on the table to kickstart key public transport projects like the Melbourne Airport Rail Link; the fast rail between Melbourne and Geelong; Monash Rail; and numerous level crossings. The Morrison government has made a promise to Australians to get people home sooner and safer, and that is what we're doing. That's why I rise to support this motion on congestion-busting infrastructure made by the member for Forde.

See this speech in context