Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to welcome the imminent commencement of a further round of community consultations on the Western Distributor project, a $5.5 billion infrastructure investment being proposed by the state Labor government that will largely be constructed in my electorate in western Melbourne. As residents of suburbs located between the Port of Melbourne and Melbourne's industrial west, locals in Melbourne's west have long dealt with the impact of trucks rat-running through our suburban streets. There has been a long community campaign for a project like the Western Distributor to give these trucks an alternative route to the port that takes them off suburban streets. The Western Distributor proposes to achieve this by building a tunnel under Yarraville and an additional river crossing across the Maribyrnong connecting to an elevated road along Footscray Road, with direct links to the Port of Melbourne.

The state government expects that this will take 22,000 vehicles a day, including 6,000 trucks, off the West Gate Bridge, and, importantly for local residents, off suburban streets in Melbourne's inner west. It is also forecasted to result in travel time savings for people in the outer western suburbs—in my electorate and in the electorate of Lawler—who use the West Gate Freeway to commute. I am also pleased that the state government is proposing to take the opportunity created by the construction work for this project to complete the Federation Trail for cyclists in Melbourne's west. As a resident and a local federal MP in the area, I obviously have a keen interest in this project, but as it is a state government proposal, I do not control it. My view remains that the Melbourne Metro Rail tunnel remains the highest priority infrastructure project for Melbourne's west and for the State of Victoria. However, I welcome a major infrastructure investment in Melbourne's west to address longstanding issues of community concern.

Like many in our community, I am keenly anticipating the community consultation on the project's design, construction and operation that will begin next month. Transurban have been undertaking consultations with stakeholders and the local community over the past six months, including over a thousand meetings with locals, an ongoing online Q&A forum, letterbox drops and community information sessions. These consultations have already resulted in changes to the working design of the project. These changes have addressed some community concerns and created others. In this context, effective community consultation on this project will be important, and I encourage all members of the community in Melbourne's west to have their say.

The state government is also forming a community reference group for detailed engagement with key stakeholders, and I encourage interested parties to apply to participate. This consultation process must allow all residents and stakeholders to have full visibility of the inevitable trade-offs, costs and benefits associated with alternative design options. In this respect, I have been assured that the community will be fully consulted on alternative design options for the project and that a final design will not be determined until after a comprehensive community consultation and planning process.

I have already told the state government I want more information about areas of community concern, including the location of the entrance to the tunnel under Yarraville and details of truck curfews, to ensure that the local community enjoys the full benefits of this infrastructure. It is also important to understand this project will be subject to a full environmental effects statement, a process assessing the potential environmental, social and economic impacts of the project. I encourage all residents in Melbourne to participate.