Ministers statements: infrastructure reform

MR PALLAS (Treasurer) — I rise to inform the house about action that the Andrews Labor government is taking to restore integrity and accountability in our infrastructure development in this state — and might I also say transparency. It has only been a year, but a lot can change in a year with an energetic government that is keeping its promises. Infrastructure Victoria is now up and running. Legislation is before this Parliament.

Honourable members interjecting.

The SPEAKER — Order! The Treasurer is definitely entitled to silence. The Chair will begin to suspend members of the house should that not happen.

MR PALLAS— Legislation is before this Parliament to give the Auditor-General follow-the-dollar powers, and of course yesterday we released the business case for the western distributor. Transparency and accountability are writ large in this government’s actions. In other words, we are doing everything that we said we would do to ensure that a calamity like the east–west link project never happens again. It could not be more timely. This morning the Auditor-General;s report into the east–west link was tabled. That $22 billion failure was a cesspit of poor planning and was also driven by election politics only. The former government knowingly tried to lead Victorians into the abyss.

Mr Burgess interjected.

Questions and statements interrupted.

SUSPENSION OF MEMBER ….