Keith Wolahan (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Spence for focusing on the topic of this MPI, unlike many others. There has been a really disturbing and sad tendency for some who claim to go high when others go low to do the opposite in their actions. Unlike others, the member for Spence actually focused on infrastructure. No party has a perfect record to tell, so he was well within his rights to do that. But many others who spoke before him went low. I will single out some truths here. Behind me is the member for Casey. His father, Dominic Violi, came from Italy as a young boy, like many in my electorate. My electorate is eight per cent Italian, and I am extremely proud of that. Six per cent of my electorate is of Greek heritage; I'm extremely proud of that. My electorate is the third-highest for Chinese heritage, and I am extremely proud of that. And lately the fastest growing community in my electorate is those from Iran, and I am extremely proud of that and proud of them.

So when we talk about infrastructure and migration, to suggest there is any form of dog whistling or racism is going as low as you can go in a country that is a multicultural migrant country, a country that has more than half of its residents being first- or second-generation migrants. We can do better than that. We all can do better than that, and the member for Spence did better than that.

We talk about a particular number that wasn't in the budget and we ask questions about infrastructure. If we're not allowed to ask that question about the number, then what is the number? What if it said 5 million or 10 million? We have to have a reasonable discussion about population policy.

I'm from the great city of Melbourne. Sadly, it is not as great as it could be. After today's state budget it's the highest taxing state in Australia. It's got the highest amount of debt in Australia. In fact, the debt of New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania combined doesn't add up to the debt of Victoria. I remember that for years Melburnians would brag about topping the Global Liveability Index. We were No. 1 from 2011 to 2017. We are now ranked No. 10.

One of the challenges in livability and quality of life is managing infrastructure in proportion to your population growth. It's not easy. When you look at the Global Liveability Index, with cities like Vienna, Copenhagen, Zurich, Vancouver, Geneva and Frankfurt, all bar one have fewer than five million people, because what we know is that, when a city goes over five million people, the infrastructure challenges get extremely hard. No matter which party you come from, they're hard. It's difficult. You need to build more roads, more bridges, more public transport, more hospitals and more schools, and you need to reserve more green space. It's difficult. It requires governments, state and federal, who will do the hard work and not just tax you more.

When we ask these questions, I think of families in my electorate from mostly migrant backgrounds. Seventy per cent are first- or second-generation migrants. Right now, when they're struggling to find a space at the Doncaster Park + Ride, they are entitled to ask if government has this under control. Right now, when people in Melbourne are stuck at the end of the Eastern Freeway, which ends at Alexandra Parade, they are entitled to ask if government has this under control. In the Fiveways intersection in Warrandyte, many families risk their lives as they move into that intersection. It desperately needs funding. They're entitled to ask if government has infrastructure and population under control. It is the same with the North East Link and Templestowe Road in my electorate. When many people, including students and families, seek to get a seat on a train at Box Hill Station, they're entitled to ask if government has this under control, because, when we think and talk about this, they're not just things that we build in our electorates; it's about the most precious thing we have, which is time. We are giving up time when we are stuck in traffic—time that we can otherwise spend with our families, coaching a sporting team, teaching our kids or being with friends, having a better life. That's what we're talking about, and it's not easy when you get to be a city such as Melbourne, at five million. Melbourne is projected to be the largest city in Australia.

I'm extremely proud of our migrant background. I myself am one. I wasn't born here, and I still remember the day when Dad came home and said, 'Sorry, we didn't get the points to come to Australia,' and we thought the dream was over. Someone took a chance on us, and I'd like to think we'll always take a chance on migrants. Don't ever take this debate lightly. This side cares about migrants, and to say otherwise is a disgraceful accusation.

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