Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to thank the member for Moreton for moving this motion. I was really delighted to have the opportunity to second this. I'm really thrilled, as I know the member for Moreton is, to be part of an Albanese government with a minister for infrastructure who really cares about making sure that all of our communities have the transport infrastructure that they need to thrive. I also note that the member for Ballarat, the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, knows my electorate, the electorate of Chisholm, very well, having grown up there, and in fact my grandfather was her maths teacher. I always like reflecting on that local connection.

I will paint a picture of what my electorate is like. We have wonderful schools. People move into my electorate for the high-quality schools, both public and private. They are people who want to see their children go to one of the local universities, Deakin University and Monash University. But one of the big issues at the moment is that we're lacking the transport infrastructure we need to really unlock the economic potential of this part of Melbourne. We're just about to open a heart hospital on the Monash University campus in Clayton. Moderna, of course, has just announced that they will be establishing their premises, creating thousands of jobs in my electorate too.

The issue is that we've lacked the vital north to south and east to west connections in particular parts of my electorate for too long. One of the very first announcements I was able to make during the election campaign—and I'm so delighted to see that we've committed to this in the budget—is a business case for the trackless rapid transport project. This is a project that will connect Caulfield to Rowville. That cuts through the southern part of my electorate across Wellington Road. What that means is that people who will need to go to the university to access the new heart hospital, which is Australia's first specialist cardiac hospital, will be able to do so easily without being in congested traffic, with a dedicated, special lane for this trackless rapid transport vehicle.

Of course, many people have spoken about connecting this part of Melbourne with transport infrastructure, but it is the federal Labor government who've made that first commitment to investigate a business case. I'm so pleased, and I know my community is so pleased. I know the university is very delighted with this, having led that project. I thank them for their efforts in putting together the work that was so compelling to me to understand exactly why it is that we need this particular transport to be provided. I know that with Moderna, with the Synchrotron, with the CSIRO and with so many other innovative businesses wanting to establish themselves in this precinct in Clayton it will be a very welcome investment indeed.

Additionally, the Suburban Rail Loop will make it easier to access the northern and southern corridors through my electorate and will finally connect the Monash and Deakin universities to one another. That opens up a whole lot of collaborative opportunities that I know a lot of people, myself included, are really excited about. At the announcement for the $2.2 billion to be invested in the Suburban Rail Loop, I think it was really timely to remember this week that the Prime Minister was asked whether he supported a pay rise for some of the lowest-paid workers in the country, and, of course, he said 'absolutely', because that is what a federal Labor government stands for. Again, better jobs will be possible when we have these better transport connections.

As I said, it really is key to unlocking the economic potential in the south-east. I was really dismayed to see, under the former coalition government, the city deal, which was so hard fought for by the local community for the south-east of Melbourne, effectively ripped up. We've been waiting for the kinds of investment we're seeing from the Labor government at the moment in my area. I know that local industry, businesses, education institutions and residents are really excited about what this will mean.

I'm thrilled to be part of a government that's actually making commitments to get things done, things that have been sorely lacking for years. It's a delight for me to be part of such a visionary government led, of course, by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and with our very capable minister for infrastructure, the member for Ballarat. I once again thank the member for Moreton for moving this very important motion today.

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