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Legislative Assembly
 
MAJOR TRANSPORT PROJECTS FACILITATION AMENDMENT BILL 2019

21 March 2019
Second reading
Frank McGuire  (ALP)

 


Mr McGUIRE (Broadmeadows) (14:40:28): This is about adding value to the big-picture vision that the Victorian government is driving. There is the AAA-rated economy and the record pipeline of investment in infrastructure, anchored on two multi-billion-dollar projects of national significance—the missing link in the road network, the north-east link, and the rail link to the airport. Here they are, both about $15 billion, and already the Andrews Labor government has got the north-east link out to market. Expressions of interest have been called for two packages: the primary package that involves construction of the tunnels and the early works package, which involves preparatory works, including utility relocations. When we first came into government I said life is short, government is shorter, let us get on with it. That has been the drive that this government has brought to get the vision, get the partnerships, get the deals done and then the delivery. I think this is the key factor in the re-election of the Andrews Labor government and the driving force. What are we wanting to do? We are wanting to build on the momentum, and we are wanting to add value. I see this as a great opportunity to have these two anchor projects where we finally have unity tickets with the Australian government. That is important to get to this position. I have a view that I would like to see priority precincts in Sunshine because that will become the hub for the rail link to the Melbourne Airport, and Broadmeadows for the north, because that captures the area that is going to be the size of Adelaide in population in a decade—as soon as that, that is how strong the growth is. And of course it has got the most affordable, available land only 16 kilometres from the heart of the city. It has got the blue-chip infrastructure there, and that is why these infrastructure deals are so significant. The Andrews government has widened the Tullamarine Freeway, we have got the ring-road, we have got Sydney Road and we have got the curfew-free international airport. I doubt there is anywhere with such a cluster of such high-value infrastructure—not just the international airport but nearby is Essendon Fields as well. I drive as many of these strategies as I possibly can to get people to see the opportunity here. This is the chance of a lifetime to reinvigorate this community. It is important as well because we are going through deindustrialisation. So what are the new industries, what are the new jobs? One of the best opportunities we have is the Ford site, which is basically the size of a suburb—about 40 hectares. I am hoping there will soon be an announcement on a deal, on who is their preferred tenderer to actually get on with that. The idea that I have been heavily promoting is that that should be used for new industries, new jobs and innovations. I would love to see, then, what the anchor tenants will be in there, and who are the institutions that can come and be part of that, such as La Trobe University or RMIT University and their innovation hubs, because I think if you have a major institution there in the same way that we have the University of Melbourne at Fishermans Bend, that is a really important match-up. Then we can ask what are we going to be making as a state—this is still a critical question—and what are we going to export internationally to make our way in the world. That is the opportunity that is there, and obviously I have CSL manufacturing life-saving blood products from Broadmeadows, and that is critical as well. What I say to the medical research sector, as the parliamentary secretary, is that here is one of our absolutely world-leading sectors. You can have your brains trust in Parkville, you can have your manufacturing arm in Broadmeadows and here is how we should be exporting globally, particularly to China, Japan and Korea, where we already have free trade agreements. These are the arguments nationally. We have got to get over the arguments between the states and have a much bigger national strategy on how we deliver on these. The example that I cite is the proton beam going to Adelaide, which was a folly. It should have been in Melbourne. I say that also because you invest in any business model where you have the leadership and in medical research Victoria got 47 per cent of the funding in the last round. It is a record. So the lion’s share goes to the lion. We are leading like the lion and we are making a point of that. I absolutely want to see this when the Medical Research Future Fund rises to $20 billion, because 47 per cent of that is real money. I think that is what we should be seeing here, because this where we can take the leadership position—the Cancer Moonshot to cure cancer with the US and all those other different projects with the elegance of the science—has been built up here over generations, and that is a critical point. We will be looking closely to see what comes out on that in the upcoming federal budget. We are hoping that there will be some propositions that come through that actually take a bigger national interest position. If you want to invest to get the maximum return in the national interest, it has got to be to your leading institutions. Judge them on merit and performance and that money will inevitably come to the people who deliver the best opportunities for lifesaving changes, reforms and breakthroughs. That is what we have and that is how we are trying to aggregate our assets. These why this north-east link is important in being able to help connect up the network. I also want to say that I am hoping to shortly be in a position to make an announcement that is very important for my community. After years of negotiation, argument and debate, we will hopefully soon be able to announce that the Hume City Council has finalised a deal with VicRoads on the Camp Road loop road site. That is really important to unlocking the valuable land right in the heart of Broadmeadows. This will be of great benefit to what we are doing to try to revitalise Broadmeadows, being one of the key recommendations from the revitalisation board that I chaired last year. The Victorian government has already invested $14 million in this project, with $7 million invested in the council’s town hall redevelopment, which will feature an innovation hub, again for creating new jobs, businesses and local opportunities. That is critical for the ongoing development of this community, where jobs are needed most. This area also has the support of a number of state government agencies that want a solution to the parking in Hume central. These include services of the Department of Justice and Community Safety, Victoria Police and Northern Health. If agreement on a purchase can be made, it will open up a whole range of other opportunities, including a car park deck for perhaps 400 to 500 car parks in the vicinity of the Broadmeadows railway station. That of course is a vital need and would be greatly appreciated by my local residents. This is an issue of great significance not just locally but also for the development of Melbourne’s north at a time when we need to get these arrangements together, get a coordinated strategy, get the deal settled and get on with the job. That is what this government does best. I am hoping that having brought the parties, VicRoads and Hume City Council, together in the Victorian Parliament in the past, we can finally get this done—signed, sealed and delivered. Then we can get on with these really important developments within the community. I think it just goes to the approach of this government about how you add value, how you create opportunity and then what results come from that. Just in summing up on this bill, why I think it is important is that it is part of the ongoing development of the strategy of the government: here is the vision, here is the plan, here are the partnerships—how do we add value and how do we then create the new industries, the new jobs and the new opportunities. If we keep doing this and keep driving it hard this will be seen by the public as us acting in the best interests of the state. We are giving people a better opportunity, more jobs and a better chance in life. That is why I commend this bill to the house.