ABC Radio Melbourne, Breakfast with Justin Smith

JUSTIN SMITH [HOST]: Well, we’ve been hearing your assessments of the current state of the Western Freeway. Is it now about to- and this is obviously not new news. Is it now about to finally get fixed with the Albanese Government today announcing that they're going to inject $1.1 billion into upgrading the Western Freeway? Catherine King is the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and also MP for Ballarat, is on the phone. Minister, thank you very much for your time.

CATHERINE KING [MINISTER, MEMBER FOR BALLARAT]: Really good to be with you, Justin.

JUSTIN SMITH: A billion dollars for the Western Freeway. You must be really worried about the west.

CATHERINE KING: Well, this has been a project in the making for some time. We committed with the Victorian state government a few years ago now to do a major study into the Western Highway. Anyone who drives along that road regularly, as I do, knows there's been significant housing development occur, particularly along Rockbank, Caroline Springs, Melton has been expanding, so that business case has been underway. $20 million has gone to that. And so this is really our now commitment to move the project along beyond the business case, to start to do the work, to try and fix really that area between Melton and Caroline Springs where that significant congestion is occurring.

JUSTIN SMITH: Is it just- reading through what is being announced today, though? Does it really move it beyond the business case, though? I mean, because the federal government, then you still need to deal with the state government and figure out exactly what you're going to fix, though, don't you? So does it really move it beyond the business case?

CATHERINE KING: Yes, it does. So I mean, what the business case is about is actually trying to work out what do you do to try and actually deal with the congestion there. So we've got a fair idea about where widening needs to occur, where there's overpasses that will need to occur as well. So that business case work has now been done. And really what this is now is a commitment from the federal government to say we are now partnering with the Victorian Government to actually start to deliver projects along this highway. There's already a billion dollars on projects along the highway, but mostly they are in, you know, the Stawell area. And so those projects are continuing. This is now trying to really deal with the problem that we've got, that this highway is now getting or starting to get beyond its capacity, because we've seen so many new developments along that area.

JUSTIN SMITH: But you see what I'm saying? And I'm sorry, I'm not trying to pick a fight, but you're saying that you're still yet to identify the areas that you need to prioritise.

CATHERINE KING: Well, we've just said that priority is on that Melton to Caroline Springs area. It's a very long highway. So that is the area that the billion dollars is being concentrated on. There's a couple of other projects that are part of the announcement today as well. But the billion dollars really is focused on trying to look at that section and then work with the Victorian Government to actually look at where we can widen, look at where there are safety measures. Those things can happen pretty quickly. Some of the bigger things which are required, which are going to be overpasses, new diamond interchanges, they are going to take a little bit longer because they are bigger to build. But this is really the money being committed. We'll work with the Victorian Government on the project- the program of works to actually progress this.

JUSTIN SMITH: How long have you had this money?

CATHERINE KING: Certainly, this has been part of our upcoming budget cycle. But because we are now making it as a decision of government, this is part of the budget- the upcoming budget process. So we've been working on this for a while now because the business case has been underway.

JUSTIN SMITH: Is it because things look so bad for you in the west at the moment?

CATHERINE KING: Not at all. Not at all. And so this is what I've been at pains to do, is to make sure we are making decisions about our infrastructure investments based on business cases, based on proper planning, and based on where we know the strong need is across the community. There's a lot of need in terms of our road infrastructure, our rail infrastructure, and what I've been at pains to do, as minister, is to really work closely with the Victorian Government to ensure we're investing where it is needed.

Now, to be honest, in terms of the Western Highway, I think the growth that we have seen, particularly along that Rockbank area, has sort of outpaced the capacity of the road. Everybody who travels along that is feeling that particularly, you know, between 6:00AM and 9:30 each morning and then coming home. So this is really us stepping in and stepping up with the Victorian Government to really make sure we actually try and resolve this issue.

JUSTIN SMITH: But again, that is not new. I read out a social media post from somebody from three years ago and they said, you know, when is it going to take the government to do something about this? And they said, is it when Labor starts to lose those safe western suburb seats? Is that when- now, that was- that was from three years ago. So the things that you're talking about these are not- you would concede, these are not new problems.

CATHERINE KING: Well again, that's why we put the investment in to do the business case. And that's why we're doing now the investment to put money in to construct new projects along the highway. I've lived in this area for- you know, I've lived in the east and I've lived in the west, and I represent the seat of Ballarat. I drive on the highway two to three times a week, and I am well aware of the problems that are on that highway. I've been driving the highway long enough. When we didn't have Anthony's Cutting, when we didn't have the Deer Park Bypass. They are all significant investments Labor governments have made in the Western Highway.

This is now again a Labor government stepping up, saying, we know we need to resolve the issues that we're seeing along this part of the corridor and stepping into that space with this $1.1 billion announcement today.

JUSTIN SMITH: Look, I know that you know the road very well. At Thornhill Park, just east of Melbourne. There are people who …

CATHERINE KING: [Interrupts] Yes. Huge development. Yeah.

JUSTIN SMITH: Yeah, and people can't turn right to go onto the freeway. They've got to go and do the U-turn, you understand …

CATHERINE KING: [Talks over] Yeah.

JUSTIN SMITH: … and everyone who does that understands exactly what I'm talking about. Is that going to get fixed as part of this?

CATHERINE KING: Well, certainly that would be our plan is to try and work out how do you get, particularly, as I say, where you've had these massive new housing developments and the road is no longer able to meet its capacity, how do you get people on and off the highway more quickly? People will know- you know, the big bank up of people trying to get home from work to Melton. That happens every afternoon as well. How do you actually look at- you know, what do you need to do there as well? So really this is part of putting that investment in where you're going to need overpasses, where you're going to need road widening. All of that is part of the billion dollars. The Victorian Government, they'll be there with us today at the announcement. They've got some work to do through their budget process also. But we're very committed to trying to make sure we try and resolve the issues that this- this has been a long standing issue. We're stepping in with the money to try and resolve it.

JUSTIN SMITH: Minister, respectfully, going back to the question, will people not have to do that u-turn to head into the city from Thornhill Park again?

CATHERINE KING: [Talks over] Again, I’ll work on the …

JUSTIN SMITH: … is that going to get fixed?

CATHERINE KING: Again, I'll work on the specifics with the Victorian Government. I don't know, and I'm not an engineer. I don't know what the best solution to that is, but that has been part of the business case planning …

JUSTIN SMITH: [Talks over] Well …

CATHERINE KING: … is to look at all of that. So that has been part of the business case to look at, you know, what do you need to do in each of the different sections. And that again will be part of the work we do with the Victorian Government going forward.

JUSTIN SMITH: But if we don't know- you concede that Thornhill Park has been a massive development …

CATHERINE KING: [Interrupts] It's not the only one. There's a lot along that …

JUSTIN SMITH: [Talks over] No, no, no. But …

CATHERINE KING: … a lot along that highway. And again, that's- you know, that's what we're trying to resolve is how do you get people on and off quickly. But in terms of whether there's an overpass, whether it's an extra turning lane, whether there's some other treatment, that I'll leave to the experts, and that has been part of the business case planning. We've got a fair idea about what we need to do. Each of those projects will …

JUSTIN SMITH: [Talks over] It doesn’t sound-

CATHERINE KING: … come on stream. But what we are doing today is putting the money on the table to make sure that the Victorian Government can actually do that work.

JUSTIN SMITH: So it sounds like it hasn't been set in stone yet, what's going to get done.

CATHERINE KING: There's a fairly clear idea about what each of those projects will be, but that will be work we’ll need to do with the Victorian Government, who of course deliver these projects. We invest in them, and the Victorian Government will need to deliver these projects.

JUSTIN SMITH: Maybe not so clear for Thornhill Park. But thank you, Minister. Thank you for your time.

CATHERINE KING: Yup. Good to be with you. Thank you.

JUSTIN SMITH: Catherine King is the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and also the MP for Ballarat.