Alice Jordan-Baird (Gorton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm really proud to be a gunzel, and let me tell you what that means. It means I grew up with two parents in the railways, spending my weekends seeing level crossings with my dad and my two sisters, and it means I know the difference between standard and broad-gauge rail track. It also means I'm so proud to support our government's agenda to improve rail connectivity across the country for passengers and freight alike. Ed Sheeran said it best:

… we found love right where we are.

That's right here in Australia with our rail network that he took from Sydney to Melbourne last week during his Australian tour. But don't let me lose my train of thought. I am so excited that the Albanese Labor government is going full steam ahead, laying the foundations for high-speed rail in Australia. Rail is back on track, and this is a significant first step in the delivery of faster, more reliable rail transport which will reshape how Aussies live, work and travel.

It's not the only thing our Labor government is doing for rail. Closer to home and just this week, construction has officially begun on stage 1 of the Melbourne Airport rail link project. Transforming Sunshine Station is a critical step in the new airport rail link project, and sorting out the signalling issues here means we can get on with electrifying the Melton line, meaning more services and more stations for my growing community in Melbourne's western suburbs, because that's where real change matters.