RAFAEL EPSTEIN, ABC MELBOURNE HOST: The SRL announcement is a big one. It's a lot of money from the Federal Government. It's going to be part of the Budget next week. Catherine King is the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, also the Federal Labor MP for Ballarat, good morning.

MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT CATHERINE KING: Good morning Raf, good to be with you.. 

EPSTEIN: Is there something in what Mark or John said? What did you make of those calls about the people, the women, returning last night?

KING: Well, I think it's not, you know, surprising that opinions divided on this issue, but the Government's been very clear from the start. We're not assisting in any way the return of these Australian citizens. But we, of course, have said that we stand ready to deal with them, and that is what you've seen as they've arrived in this country, with the Australian Federal Police now laying charges. That is, you know, the position of the Government. We haven't assisted, haven't repatriated these women, but we obviously have to deal with the consequences of the actions that they decided to take, and our first priority is to keep the community here in Australia safe.

EPSTEIN: Can I ask you about safety then? The state opposition says they are an unacceptable threat to community safety. This is a statement from Jess Wilson and the opposition wants a guarantee that community safety will not be jeopardised. Is that a guarantee you think you can offer as a government?

KING: Well, of course, as a Federal Government, we are absolutely focused on the safety of Australia, the community. I understand that oppositions are trying to get elected, and they use a whole range of tactics to do that, from fear, from division, all of those things. But essentially –

EPSTEIN: Are they not channelling real concern about that?

KING: I understand that, but I think they also try to amplify concerns because they want to get elected, and I think that's what you've seen unfortunately from Jess Wilson today.

EPSTEIN: The Suburban Rail Loop is the most expensive project Victoria has ever built. Your Government, Catherine King, has already contributed some money. You've got some more money on offer in next week's Budget. Is this about trying to help Jacinda Allen win the next election?

KING: This is about a good project for the State of Victoria to actually change the way in which people move around Melbourne. I've lived in Ballarat for a very long time now, but people will know I actually grew up in the south eastern suburbs, went to Burwood East primary school, and I went to school at Emmaus College in Burwood, and would spend a lot of time at Monash University Library, and know just how hard it is getting – you know we've got lots of spokes coming out from rail network, lots of people living on those spokes, but this puts an orbital around so you can actually move around the south east and east of Melbourne much more quickly and efficiently. It also is good for people in Gippsland. If you want to come in via the Gippsland rail line, you can then also link up, get to the Children's Hospital in Monash, and also to Monash University. So, it's actually changing the way people move around Melbourne. Also providing opportunity for greater density in some of those suburbs that I grew up in. And I think that's a good thing, providing opportunities for people to live where the infrastructure is, where the schools are, and really providing that opportunity for more people to grow up in fabulous suburbs of Melbourne, like I did.

EPSTEIN: You're accusing the opposition there of sort of politicising the return of these women from Syria. Like there's a fair bit of politics in throwing billions of dollars at the most expensive project, isn't there? Like your move is as political, isn't it?

KING: I'm always really careful about the investment decisions we make. And as you know Infrastructure Australia has placed Suburban Rail Loop East now on the priority project list. They've done a lot of work when we came to government, frankly, where we did have a highly politicised infrastructure list, in fact, in Victoria – that was to the detriment of Victoria. There was very little investment in Victoria at all from the Federal Government because of the relationship between the Liberal federal government and a Labor state government. So, Victoria was starved of funding. What I've been at pains to do is get Infrastructure Australia to provide me with advice about projects. My department to lift its game a bit when it's providing advice to me about projects and be really cautious about the investment approach that we take in things that are going to change both productivity, movement of people and liveability across the country. So I've been pretty focused on making sure that our investments do just that.

EPSTEIN: But you didn't have a choice, did you? I mean, if you didn't fund this, you would leave your state Labor colleagues looking politically naked. Weren’t you sort of boxed in?

KING: Well, the Commonwealth always has a choice. This project, of course, is underway, so it makes sense for us to continue our investment in this project. We made that early initial $2.2 billion investment back in 2022.

EPSTEIN: But are you personally convinced of the merit?

KING: Yeah of course I am. I think I've just explained to you, growing up in the south east and east and I didn't have a car when I first went to university, so trying to beg with my parents to drive me across to Monash when they were available, or try and catch the bus across. I think Monash University in particular has been poorly served by public transport for a while, so I think this gives a good opportunity to open those things up. And I've been there. So I think this is a good opportunity for those good next public transport investments here in the state of Victoria. It, of course, builds on the investments we're making in the Sunshine Hub and in making sure we get that up and running. You know, there's a lot of road investments across the country, both in the regions and in the cities as well.

EPSTEIN: Catherine King is the Infrastructure Minister, this announcement’s almost $4 billion in next week's Federal Budget for the Suburban Rail Loop. The numbers 1300 222 774. You hear what the Minister is saying about this massive project. Catherine King, this is an important question to ask someone like you. I don't know if you get to see the actual contract for the Suburban Rail Loop. None of us do, but maybe you know the answer to this question. Jess Wilson says that if she wins, she would pause this project. Do you know if the contract allows that to happen?

KING: No, I don't see the contract that's between the state government and the builders of the project, and then their various subcontractors on that. I don't know that. But again, I think that we deal with governments, we deal with governments who are serious about building infrastructure in this country, and that's what we see from the Victorian Labor Government. They've had huge investments. And I think, you know, what you would want from anyone who's representing Victoria, or who is, you know, a Victorian is to fight for your fair share of funding to come here into this state, and to fight for projects to make our suburbs better places to live in, and our regions great places to live in as well.

EPSTEIN: So if Jess Wilson becomes Premier and says we should get our fair share, and this $4 billion should go to the project that my government chooses because we've just been elected. Would you be persuaded? Because, famously, Tony Abbott locked up money in a project and didn't allow Labor to access it. Could Jess Wilson's Government, if they win, could they use this $4 billion on whatever project they like?

KING: Well, I don't engage in speculation about what might or might not happen. We deal with governments, and I've been having a long term good relationship with the Allan Labor Government and the Andrews Labor Government as well to invest in infrastructure and to lift the infrastructure investment from the Federal Government here in the state of Victoria, because Victorians deserve us to do that.

EPSTEIN: Thanks so much for joining us this morning.

KING: Really good to be with you Raf.