Mr PALLAS (Treasurer) — I rise to advise the house on the delivery of the Metro Tunnel and the transformative effect it will have upon the Victorian economy. The idea of the Metro Tunnel has been around for quite some time; in fact about a decade. Ten years ago it was identified by Sir Rod Eddington as a vital project, but now it is well underway. This morning the Minister for Public Transport and the Premier were out there at what will be Anzac station, where construction has already commenced …

This is a fantastic milestone, and it demonstrates that as a government we are about epitomising our approach to delivering infrastructure. Firstly, set your priorities by listening to the experts; secondly, make sure those priorities are clear to Victorians when you ask for their support; and thirdly, of course get on and do what you promised that you would do.

There was a time of course when those opposite spruiked an alternative project, the Melbourne rail link. And just as the Metro Tunnel is a symbol of a government that goes out and does what it says it would do, for those opposite the Melbourne rail link was a project that they just made up as they went along. It was a cut-price, shonky imitation of a rail project. Contrast that to Melbourne Metro, which will save commuters up to 50 minutes …

Well, Speaker, as I was saying, this project will save commuters up to 50 minutes, and it will boost the Victorian economy and it will create jobs. Unlike those opposite, who had no plan for where the stations were going to go and had no idea about an airport rail link or when it would be built …

Under our plans to enhance the network this government intends to replace thousands of useless wooden sleepers, unlike those opposite.