Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

RAE () (): Every day, more than 86,000 vehicles travel the Western Freeway between Melton and Caroline Springs. Our community rely on it to get them to work or school and home to their loved ones. During the federal election, as the Labor candidate for Hawke, I committed that an Albanese government would kickstart the Western Freeway upgrade with the necessary business case works. It needs to happen, because too often locals are left idling along the aged and inadequate freeway infrastructure.

Our $20 million business case is now well underway, being delivered in partnership with the Victorian Labor government. Environmental and technical surveys are being conducted with workers on the ground. Our project is a comprehensive business case to upgrade the freeway between Melton and Caroline Springs, looking at additional lanes, new interchanges and overpasses, lighting upgrades and more. It's a project that will get people home to their families quicker and safer and will create a lasting legacy for our community. Community consultation is currently underway. Have your say before it closes on Sunday 10 December.

I want to acknowledge Catherine King, the minister for infrastructure and transport, for her many years of work on this project and her support in kickstarting the work with the business case. I also keep working closely with the state member for Melton, Steve McGhie, and our community to make sure that we secure this important upgrade. I say again that this is the opportunity for our community to ensure that we have the infrastructure required in our growing suburbs well into the future to get people to work and home safely to their loved ones.

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