My adjournment matter is directed to the Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, and the action I seek is for the minister to join me in inspecting the progress of the Suburban Rail Loop construction in Glen Waverley. The Suburban Rail Loop is a transformational project which will shape our state for years to come. Whether it be Berlin, Paris, London, Tokyo, Seoul or Singapore, most advanced metro networks across the world have a loop connecting the various suburbs and train lines within each city. The Allan Labor government also understands the vital need to make this significant investment into Victoria’s future. Not only will the Suburban Rail Loop bring communities together, take cars off the roads, boost local economies and slash travel times, it will enable some 70,000 new homes to be built. This is so important because these new dwellings will be located on the doorstep of world-class public transport, as well as around services, jobs and existing infrastructure. It is critical that we build homes in places that are convenient and efficient, and the Suburban Rail Loop allows for planning reforms which will provide this opportunity.
On this side of the house we are builders, we invest in Victoria’s future, we understand that we must always look at upgrading and modernising our public transport systems and we are taking real action to increase the supply of housing and address the cost of living for Victorians. I am very excited about the continued construction of the Suburban Rail Loop and the tremendous benefits it will bring to the Victorian community. I look forward to working with the minister on the delivery of the Suburban Rail Loop, and I look forward to her response.
Minister’s Response:
Victoria is expected to grow to 11.2 million people by the mid-2050s and Melbourne will reach around nine million – the size of London today. As the Member noted, Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) will not only transform our public transport network, but as Australia’s biggest housing project, it will deliver 70,000 houses and specifically, the housing supply and diversity our city needs to grow in the decades to come.
Work is well underway on SRL East between Cheltenham and Box Hill, including the new underground station at Glen Waverley.
As you well understand, the new SRL East station at Glen Waverley will be one of the most well-connected stations on the metropolitan network, providing faster and more convenient access to the vibrant retail and hospitality area as well as quick journeys to universities, employment and hospitals to the north and south.
SRL East also presents an opportunity to attract more people, businesses and investments to the areas around the new SRL East stations, generating more jobs and importantly delivering more housing choices closer to where people want to work and live.
The Suburban Rail Loop Authority (SRLA’s) draft structure plans have been developed following intensive discussions and community engagement since 2019, and around 10,000 submissions have guided the direction of local priorities that is reflected in these plans.
Consultation and engagement are a key part of the strategic long-term planning for how Glen Waverley will evolve over time and how SRL will enhance the existing strengths of this area while triggering the provision of more homes, as well as business activity. This will deliver more homes in the right places, where people want to live, and I encourage you to work with your community to ensure that they can provide feedback via Engage Victoria on the draft structure plans, between 17 March and 22 April.
That is why the Allan Labor Government and SRLA have been engaging extensively with residents, businesses, universities and other key stakeholders across the 26-kilometre SRL East corridor since 2019 to ensure their views and aspirations are accounted for in both the delivery of the new orbital train line but also the conditions for housing growth.
I thank the Member for Glen Waverley for the invitation and advocacy and welcome the opportunity to visit the site of the new SRL East station as progress is underway to deliver the transport and housing benefits this project will bring to Glen Waverley.
Hon Harriet Shing MP
Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop
Minister for Housing and Building
Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts
