KATE THWAITES: Well, good morning everyone. I'm Kate Thwaites. I'm the Federal Member for Jagajaga, and it's a real pleasure to be here with both Minister King and Minister Williams to mark this really important milestone. Obviously, it is significant for our community that we have reached this stage of this project. People living here know that while we're experiencing disruption at the moment, the end stage of this project is cutting their travel time, is making this an even better community to live. So it's wonderful to be able to see firsthand just how much progress is being made and to know what a significant difference this will make locally.

CATHERINE KING: Thanks very much, Kate. It's terrific to be here with Kate, but also with my state colleague, Gabrielle Williams, who's doing such great work here in Victoria on some massive projects. The scale and size of the North East Link, you have to be in it to experience it. This is my third time on site, and every time, there is something new and something changing. The fact that we've now got 60 per cent of the tunnelling done, that is often- that's the biggest and most complex work, but you can see just the amazing engineering, amazing construction work that goes into that. This project, we're really pleased to be investing in from the Federal Government, and we do know what it will mean for people in this district, providing that connectivity, quicker travel times, but also safer travel times, taking heavy haulage vehicles, taking trucks off our suburban roads in Victoria, making it safer for people in local suburbs and local communities to get on with their jobs. I do particularly want to acknowledge and thank the local community. These sort of projects, you can't build them without a lot of disruption, and a lot of communities have been impacted by that and we do want to thank them for their patience because it will be worth it. You can see just the scale of this project and what it will be doing as well.

I really just want to say, in terms of the Victorian partnership we have with the Victorian Government, with the investments that we're making, we're really delighted with the work and the progress and the way in which they go about working with the Federal Government in a collaborative way to make sure that we're building for all Victorians. And with that, I'll hand over to Gab, and then we'll take some questions.

GABRIELLE WILLIAMS: We're just making life difficult for you with quite different height levels for your microphones so apologies for that. Great to be joined by my colleagues, Sonja Terpstra and Colin Brooks. Kate, lovely to have you here too. And of course, Catherine, always a pleasure to stand up with you, Catherine. And we've got Brodie from MRPV, who can answer the more technical questions you have about this incredible project.

As Minister King outlined, works are pumping on the North East Link project. We're more than 60 per cent through, or about 60 per cent through on the tunnelling. Our TBMs, Zelda and Gillian, are hard at work, making sure that we get those tunnel connections from Watsonia through to Bulleen, and it's been an enormous undertaking. We've seen so far 25,000 precast concrete segments installed, locally made in Benalla. So another good news job story here for our local Victorian economy. But this project is an incredibly complex one. We're here in the tunnels. People probably most associate the project with the tunnels, but of course, it also involves upgrades to the M80 Ring Road and the Eastern Freeway as a part of it as well. And it's all designed to improve travel times. It will deliver significant travel time savings of about 35 minutes. It will take 15,000 trucks off local roads.

And I've spent the last few days talking about a number of projects that the state has been embarking upon, which are all designed to be looking to the future, and to be catering for a growing and changing community, making sure that we can preserve our liveability as we grow. We talked about that with the Metro Tunnel. We were talking about that yesterday with the West Gate Tunnel, and now we're talking about it today with the North East Link Project. Good governments look to the future. They don't look through the rear vision mirror. They look to the future and they think not only about what the community needs right now today, they think about what the community is going to need for generations to come. And these projects are all about that, about improving productivity, about improving connections for people, whether that be facilitating them getting to important employment opportunities, education opportunities, leisure opportunities.

Our Big Build agenda is entirely about making sure that we're unlocking those opportunities, that we're preserving our liveability, that we're improving connection, and along the way that we're creating jobs. There are 8000 people working on the North East Link project. Over the life of the project, there will be 12,000 people working on the project. This is a big part of the Big Build story, which includes tens of thousands of people that have been employed directly in these projects, but also the thousands and thousands of Victorians beyond that, in supply chains and in related industries, who get the economic benefit of these projects.

I've stood up here a number of times and said that Victoria has, for the best part of a decade, been short-changed by the Commonwealth, but I'm so pleased since the election of the Albanese Labor Government to be able to now say that we've got a partner in Canberra to see that process of rectification start, with Canberra coming to the table and partnering with the Victorian Government to be able to ensure that we can deliver the projects that will set us up for the future and that we can- that we no longer have to go it alone in doing that the way we have for so many years. And the North East Link project is a great example of partnership between the state and the Commonwealth in being able to deliver a project that will serve Victorians for generations to come. It's so exciting. I think you can see that. Work is moving at a rapid pace, and we've been very fortunate with some very good ground conditions that have led to Gillian and Zelda making some cracking progress in now reaching that 60 per cent milestone in tunnelling.

So, with those remarks, I might open up to questions.

JOURNALIST: When do you think the project will be finalized or finished?

GABRIELLE WILLIAMS: So the project's due for completion in 2028. I understand the tunnelling component of the project is due for completion next year, Brodie is that- there you go, the TBM component of that tunnelling. So, we've made really good progress. As I said, the ground conditions have been excellent. We've got 8000 people hard at it here, ensuring that we can deliver this project in a timely way, and ultimately, and that's what we're most excited about, deliver the benefits of it to the Victorian community.

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JOURNALIST: Can I just ask, I don't know who's best to answer this, but can you just explain how the tunnel actually connects to the series of roads above, how the connection with the tunnel and [indistinct]…?

BRODIE WOODLAND: A question about the connection with the road network above. So, we'll have a connection in from the M80. So, there's a package of work that's going on at the moment to widen the M80, introduce some modern road technology up there and a couple of new road bridges, open up those connections. So, traveling south towards the Eastern Freeway, traffic will be able to enter up here at Watsonia, travel through to- there'll be opportunity for interchange down at Lower Plenty through to Manningham and then on to the eastern freeway down near Bulleen at the other end. So, it's a six kilometre tunnel from end to end, connecting to the widened road up at M80 and then down along the Eastern Freeway which is also being widened and enhanced on technology and the dedicated busway.

JOURNALIST: There were a couple of safety issues identified down in the southern area recently, I think, last week or this week. Have they been resolved now? Is there any concern about any safety issues down on the part of that project?

GABRIELLE WILLIAMS: Thanks, Matt. Yes, there were some safety incidents, in particular a couple of weeks ago relating to the tipping of a truck near the eastern freeway there. The site was immediately suspended while that incident was investigated. Now there's been a power of work undertaken between VIDA and the contractors to determine what can be improved on the site. And there's been a number of enhancements made to the oversight of the site, which has led to reopening gradually from yesterday. Significant engagement with the workforce there on that component, that Tram to Burke Road component, and input too from the workforce there to make sure that the measures that have been put in place to allow for reopening are the best that they can be. Alongside that, though, there is ongoing a WorkSafe investigation which, of course, will make its own findings, and we look forward to hearing those.

JOURNALIST: Just on others question there. I might grab the Minister though for this. Of the 79 councils all joined together to protest against the Emergency Services levy, they're calling the Premier arrogant for not replying to their emails and not organising any meetings. Do you think this is good enough?

GABRIELLE WILLIAMS: Look, there's been significant consultation, I understand, along the journey with local government around the levy. Keeping in mind, this is not a new levy - it's been in existence for some time with recent changes. I don't think we should lose sight of what it is that we're looking to achieve through the levy. And that's a safer Victorian community, and ensuring that we've got the resources that can go to protecting communities in their time of need.

We are seeing more extreme events and more severe- and greater severity in those extreme events, and often it is our rural and regional areas that are bearing the brunt of those. And we want to be able to ensure that we've got the pipeline of resources that allows us to keep those communities safe; that allows us to manage those events when they take place. And look, in the last few years alone we've seen some really dangerous incidents of fire, of floods, of storms. And it's important that any government make sure that we can be protecting communities in their time of need, and resourcing our important agencies to be able to do that work. That's what this is all about, and we shouldn't lose sight of it.

JOURNALIST: [Indistinct]… of them to just reply to an email and organise a meeting. Is that not what they deserve?

GABRIELLE WILLIAMS: As I said, there's been an extensive engagement with local government and a range of stakeholders on these matters. They- premier has spoken to them at length in a multitude of forums. We've got a number of ministers that have been engaged from various different angles in these conversations, and we'll continue to talk to communities and to the different sectors that intersect. You know, whether that be our emergency services sector or local government itself, we'll continue to engage as we always do. But we also want to be clear that this is really critical to us being able to ensure that we can keep communities safe in those times of extreme weather events, whether that be fire, flood or storm, or anything in between.

JOURNALIST: If councils won't enforce the tax or won't take levy from companies, what will Government do to make sure that that happens?

GABRIELLE WILLIAMS: Look, I don't want to deal in speculations. You know, the levy is there for a purpose. We're working really closely with local government, including providing them with support to assist them in the administration of this important levy. We'll continue to work with local government to assist where we can, but not losing sight of the fact that this is ultimately about keeping communities safe, about preserving life and preserving livelihoods. That's really important. We can't be flippant about that, and we should never, in this discussion lose sight of that fact. We're about to head into another fire season. This is a very nerve-wracking time of year for many in our state who are looking down the barrel of extreme weather events and what this might mean for their properties, what this might mean for their livelihoods and, most importantly, what it may mean for their very life.

JOURNALIST: [Indistinct]… levy might continue to be collected by the same [indistinct]…?

GABRIELLE WILLIAMS: Look, I'm not here to make any announcements about any changes to the levy. We'll continue to work with key stakeholders including local communities, local government, emergency services sector to make sure that we are doing everything we can to preserve their safety in their time of need.

JOURNALIST: Has there been any work done to look at what other ways that there might be to collect this levy, given that there does seem to be this, I guess, the support from councils- you know, I know that they've done it over the previous years and it gets rebuffed - there seems to no longer be that support from councils to do it. Has the Government been looking at different ways that it might be able to be collected?

GABRIELLE WILLIAMS: I might have to refer you to my colleague, the Minister for Emergency Services, on the detail of you know what's been considered in the background. I'm not here to make any announcements about changes to that policy. I think it's really important we don't lose sight of what the purpose of it is. And I think it's more relevant now than ever as we move towards yet another fire season that no doubt will shape up to be challenging as they have in recent years.

JOURNALIST: Minister, just on another levy - the car parking car congestion levy. Do you think it's fair that motorists will have to pay an extra $1,300 a year to park in the city from next year?

GABRIELLE WILLIAMS: I think we need to acknowledge that congestion costs the Victorian economy enormously. It costs the economy about $10 billion. You know, that's a productivity cost, it is one that we need to be mindful of in how we plan people's movements through our community. And what you've seen in recent years, or in the last decade since we've been in office, is extraordinary investment in public transport and making sure that we are building new connections, improving services so that people can leave the car at home.

We're doing that for a raft of reasons. You know, we want to facilitate people’s movement and we want to facilitate people's connections to important opportunities in employment and education and leisure. But it's also because we know that congestion costs the economy, and it's not a small cost, it's a very significant cost. Which is why, you know, we undertake measures like this, but also why we invest so heavily in giving people alternatives. And we've seen that writ large this week as we've talked about the opening of the metro tunnel and the fact that it not only allows for greater service levels across our entire rail network, but also delivers rail connections to areas of our CBD that have never had rail connections before. This is about improving options, improving capacity across our public transport network, and ensuring that we continue to give people more options to travel. And, of course, alongside that we’re making public transport more affordable as well. That’s a key part of the story here around not only people movement for all the reasons they want to go places, but also for economic reasons, ensuring that we can continue to do all we can to facilitate better productivity.

JOURNALIST: Have you looked at a- there’s concerns been raised about this parking levy in terms of an equity issue. Women working in the city on shift work, say, often may drive because public transport may be deemed to be unsafe. Or particularly when it comes to parenting, we’ve heard from parents who say that women still typically do a lot of that caring work, saying that it means that they can work in the city or work in the office because they can go and collect their children. Are you taking those matters into consideration when you’re [indistinct] this levy?

GABRIELLE WILLIAMS: Look, I think our policy landscape has demonstrated that we are very attuned to making sure that our settings take into account the needs of the community, including women. And more recently, you’ve seen …

JOURNALIST: But not [indistinct]?

GABRIELLE WILLIAMS: … particularly the Premier stand up talking about our work from home initiatives and what that means for women in our community in particular. We’re also seeing record investment in our public transport services and infrastructure to give those improved options for movement around our state, to make sure that service levels are improving, and unlocking even more capacity for more services through important projects. Whether it be the metro tunnel, whether it be what we’re embarking upon out in that Sunshine precinct, which will facilitate a significant uplift of services to the western suburbs, these are always considerations. But we do know that congestion costs our economy an enormous amount, which is why it’s so important that we have a range of tools in our toolkit to address it, and a part of that is ensuring that there are alternatives. And we’ve been investing heavily in those alternatives over a decade, and I think we’ve also made it clear that we will continue to. This has been a big part of our agenda for the last decade, and it’s all about being able to prepare for the future and to continue to meet the needs of a growing and changing community.

JOURNALIST: [Inaudible]

GABRIELLE WILLIAMS: No, no, sorry. I feel like I'm really shouting. The audio is going to be awful.

JOURNALIST: Yesterday, a 14-year-old was released on bail after committing a serious offence earlier this year. Justice Beale said that it would be safer for the community to have him to go back to school than to be behind bars. What do you make of that?

GABRIELLE WILLIAMS: Look, I understand when it comes to the return of young people to education settings in those sorts of situations that the Department of Education ultimately makes an assessment about whether that's safe and desirable. So I might refer you to my colleague, the Minister for Education, to reflect on the way that the Department does those assessments. And, as usual with matters before the court, we wouldn't comment on specific cases. So again, I'd urge you to speak to my colleague about the Department of Education's processes on that.

Obviously we've been really clear that community safety is a priority and has to be the overarching priority. That's been the centrepiece of our bail reforms. We have undertaken significant justice reform in recent times, the toughest bail laws in the country, and we're seeing that now reflected in our remand rates. And the statistics around those rates speak for themselves. Alongside those measures, though, are also measures to ensure that we are diverting young people away from those criminal pathways early on. Obviously, education settings are an important part of that, making sure that young people are engaged in meaningful ways and that they have the support they need to stay away from paths that ultimately only ever lead to a bad place. This is a complex and comprehensive area of reform, and we're making sure that we're dealing with both ends of it.

JOURNALIST: Just on an incident that happened this morning, a 12-year-old student has died after being hit by a truck outside a school in Bendigo. You may not have been briefed on this specific incident, but what's your message to that child- that victim's family? Do you have any updates?

GABRIELLE WILLIAMS: Look, I haven't been briefed on that particular incident. But let me say, my heart goes out to the loved ones of that child. It's an awful tragedy. I can't imagine the pain a family must feel losing a child. I've got a little one myself, and it's heartbreaking the thought of it. But beyond that, obviously our thoughts are with the family on that occasion. I'm not aware of the circumstance- those individual circumstances, but look, if you needed us to comment any further on them, we could come back to you.

JOURNALIST: Thank you.

JOURNALIST: Can I [indistinct] a question to the Federal Minister, please?

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Last one.

JOURNALIST: Thank you. Just in relation to the sexual assaults and driving instructors, you wrote to your state and territory counterparts about driving instructors sexually assaulting their students. Will you commit to discussing this with states and territories as a group, not individually, at the next transport minister meeting?

CATHERINE KING: Well, I have- so the first thing is that we haven't set all the next transport ministers yet, and as I have said on every time I have been asked this question, I am talking to my state and territory counterparts constantly. Gab and I have had a brief discussion about it. Melissa Horne has responded to the letter that I've written. We'll continue to work with states and territories on a range of issues, as we always do. But let's be really clear here – sexual assault anywhere is not okay, whether it is when you're learning to drive or whether you're in a workplace or whatever you are doing. And this right at the heart of it is about male behaviour, or behaviour of men who should not be assaulting women. And our government has done a huge amount in this space to try and make sure that we are improving the way in which people are able to go about their daily lives. So in this issue in particular, can I say, these are appalling events that have occurred, and we'll continue to work with state and territory counterparts who are already improving the way in which driving instructing is happening in this country. South Australia is leading the way, and I'm sure when colleagues get together, as we always do as a group, whether it's online or in person, this issue will be raised.

JOURNALIST: Minister, can I just ask about the Suburban Rail Loop?

CATHERINE KING: Yes, you can.

JOURNALIST: Just about the request for funding from the state that came through in September, are you confident that process can be run and resolved before the next federal budget? So will there be a decision on whether there will be further funding due before the May budget?

CATHERINE KING: We make decisions about funding in the budget. That's when we make decisions. We make decisions about future funding in the budget for infrastructure projects. We're in the process, obviously, of the mid-year economic financial outlook process where we look at what's happened since the election. We're in the process of that at the moment, and we’ll make decisions about additional funding requests or new funding requests in the budget. That's the process as it always is. But I can say that the Victorian Government is working closely with my department. Our secretaries are speaking regularly about a range of requests that come from Victoria for additional funding for projects as well as new projects, and that work remains ongoing. But we've got a budget in May, and we'll make decisions about the budget in May closer to that time. Thanks, everyone.