Parliament of Victoria | Legislative Council | Adjournment
8 September 2026
David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan Region):
My adjournment is for the Minister for Finance and relates to the proposed axing of Infrastructure Victoria. Infrastructure Victoria was established in 2015 with bipartisan support to ensure that infrastructure projects were independently assessed on merit and the value that they would return to the people of Victoria, taking the politics out of infrastructure planning.
Victorian taxpayers are mostly left in the dark when it comes to this government’s infrastructure spending. From the Suburban Rail Loop to the rebuilding of the public housing towers, we see no transparency, no business case, no cost–benefit analysis. One minute it is a thought bubble, the next minute it is something the state ‘simply can’t afford not to build’.
When we in the chamber are so bold as to seek details, we are told that it is commercial in confidence or cabinet in confidence or simply executive privilege. We do not need to see the details. We are just supposed to take the government’s word for it. The value of Infrastructure Victoria to the taxpayers, if not this government, is that it can independently assess whether Victorian taxpayers who actually foot the bill get value.
But in the name of efficiency and cost savings – oh, the irony – Infrastructure Victoria’s functions will be absorbed into the Department of Transport and Planning. It is one thing to cut back on pot plants and tea and coffee, and quite another to axe an agency actually providing valuable advice to all sides of politics.
The Minister for Finance has defended its abolition, insisting that the department is capable of providing thorough and independent advice. So let us get this straight. We will now be relying on the planning department to, what, give itself the frank and fearless advice that it rarely chooses to listen to when it is being provided by an independent body. Really?
Infrastructure Victoria have played a crucial role in highlighting infrastructure inequality. For my communities, by way of example, it led us to raise the dearth of social infrastructure such as libraries and aquatic centres in the west. Abolishing Infrastructure Victoria will further reduce transparency and accountability, items we are told these days are not optional.
At a time when trust in this government is surely at an all-time low, I ask: will the minister reconsider this appalling decision? Finally, I would like to acknowledge and thank Jonathan Spear and the staff of Infrastructure Victoria for their important work.
[Awaiting response]
