I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging.
Thank you to Neary Ty for the warm introduction.
I acknowledge the Premier of Victoria, my friend Ben Carroll.
Ben takes a huge amount of pride in his city and his state.
He knows the suburbs and the regions, and he advocates and delivers for them.
Ben and his Government believe in this great state, and in its ability to continue to grow and thrive and lead the nation into the future, right across the board.
I acknowledge the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Nick Reece.
Federal and state parliamentary colleagues.
Bill de Blasio and Professor Carlos Moreno, welcome guests here in Australia.
And I extend my thanks to our hosts at Channel Nine and The Age for bringing together this inaugural Melbourne Assembly.
It is an excellent initiative, unique in the way it follows the thread linking urban planning and infrastructure to the culture and commerce of a city.
I have no doubt the ideas you generate here will help to chart a course that builds on Melbourne’s global reputation as a liveable, dynamic, sustainable and beautiful place to live.
I was hoping to come here today and enter straight into a discussion of the long and proud history of The Age newspaper and the vital issue of housing policy.
First, though, there is something that I do have to discuss.
The terrible incident yesterday afternoon involving the much respected and admired Independent Member for Indi, Helen Haines.
She was as we now know, struck by a car outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, receiving critical injuries.
And is now at the Alfred Hospital where she remains in a critical but stable condition.
All of our thoughts are with Helen Haines today, her family, her team, her many, many friends, and indeed her community as well, who are going through a very difficult time.
On behalf of the nation, a little while ago I had the opportunity to thank Ricky Jefferies, the local barber just a couple of doors down from Helen's electorate office, who ran to her help.
And it's a reminder that at the worst of times, we see the best of the Australian character. This is just a bloke, as he said to me, said it was just the right thing to do. But he did run into danger not knowing what the consequences could potentially be for him.
Just running to help someone else. A great example of the Australian spirit and the best of the Australian character.
So, I think that even in dark times, we see light. And light will beat darkness each and every time.
In a way, also, that was just so Australian, he was just so humble. I kept trying to coax him into what he was thinking and he was, 'oh, it's just what you do.'
As Australians do.
He put me on the loudspeaker with his family. I tell you, if he didn't accept the accolades, they did on his behalf. They're very proud of him.
Helen Haines represents the very best in our political representatives.
Kind. Compassionate. A person of integrity totally committed to strongly representing the interests of her regional Victorian community.
Helen’s decency means she is respected by all who have the privilege of engaging with her.
I was asked earlier today how people can show their support.
My best response is: “be like Helen.”
It’s fair to say Melbourne and The Age have been something of a double act for a while.
172 years ago, last Saturday, the paper’s first edition hit the newsstands.
Though I always prefer a hardcopy, you can still log on to Trove today and look up that first front page.
A massive broadsheet, it was bursting with advertisements and news items of all sorts.
Ships travelling to Hobart, Adelaide and London.
Land for sale in Brunswick, Brighton and Yan Yean.
A congregation was on the cusp of setting up a new Anglican church in Emerald Hill, now South Melbourne.
And if you were in the market to buy a hat of any kind, a Mr Clemes at a shop not far from here, at 40 Swanston Street, promised to look after you.
Among the glimpses into the vibrant life of Gold Rush Melbourne, up in the top right-hand corner of that first page, is an article with the title:
“The Age; a Journal of Politics, Commerce, and Philanthropy.”
In it, the proprietors set out the goal of this new newspaper to be the place where the movements, motives and views of Melbourne would be recorded, and that its reporting would reflect the character of the city:
Progressive.
Prosperous.
Independent.
A city with a high regard for public spirit.
All things that were true then – and are true now.
A growing city with a dynamic economy, Melbourne remains one of the great progressive centres of the world.
A cultural and sporting global capital.
Home to a people defined by their energy, ideas and purpose.
A people committed to building a shining, open future that shares success.
With The Age still as their journal and their voice.
It is in that spirit and with that sense of vision in mind that this Melbourne Assembly has come together to celebrate – and to drive forward – the future of this great city.
Friends,
How we set our cities up fairly and in a way that drives their future success is a key question for this Assembly.
For Melbourne, just as it is for every city and town across Australia, that question cannot be answered without talking about housing.
For most Australians, buying a first home is the single biggest investment they will ever make.
By a long way.
And for the families and young Australians that buy them, those houses are more than just bricks and mortar.
They are an investment in themselves and their children.
They provide a stake in our economy and our nation’s future.
And they prove that if you work hard, you can get ahead.
That is why the dream of homeownership sits at the heart of Australian aspiration.
And why my Government has taken action – doing everything we can to shift the dial when it comes to housing.
So more Australians get that chance.
And it is making a difference.
Victoria is the nation’s first home buyer capital.
Since we came to Government, over 90,000 Victorians have been able to get into their first home using just a 5 per cent deposit.
That is a terrific number.
And it underlines what we know: that more than anything else, housing affordability hinges on housing supply.
Because the fact is, Victoria is building more homes.
And that means more Victorians have been more able to buy one.
I lead a Government that is a proud to partner with Victoria in that mission.
Under the National Housing Accord, we have an ambitious target of building 1.2 million homes.
And together we are turbocharging that delivery.
Because today I can announce that Victoria has become the first state to formally sign up to our New Homes Bonus.
Providing real incentives for every house built towards a jurisdiction’s share of our national housing target. This program is open to every state and territory – and I encourage them to follow Victoria’s lead.
Because the New Homes Bonus forms an important part of accelerating the national effort of building more homes.
Investment that fosters cooperation and drives construction.
Boosting supply.
And improving affordability.
Already, Victoria is on track to receive an additional $350 million under the New Homes Bonus.
Funding that can then be reinvested into local infrastructure that supports the state’s growing suburbs and regions.
But our combined effort to drive housing policy that is pro-aspiration and pro-supply does not stop there.
We know that in a growing Melbourne, connecting up last mile infrastructure like sewage, water and electricity is essential to getting new homes off the ground.
That is why, with the Carroll Labor Government, we are investing in more of it.
Announced in the Budget, our $2 billion Local Infrastructure Fund means local governments and state utilities will get further support to unlock land for housing that is ready to go.
Including a $500 million investment earmarked especially for new development in regional Australia.
Delivering housing that is well-located, well connected and that boosts our overall supply.
And a little later this week, my Government and the Victorian Government will have more to say on deepening our partnership to bring new homes to market.
Particularly for first home buyers.
Working together to deliver projects that put houses in the places where first home buyers want to live.
New homes close to school and work and friends.
Near public transport and green spaces.
Building on our investment and reforms that are making a real difference.
Bringing that aspiration of homeownership back into reach of more Victorians.
And helping to build a city that is fit for the future.
No doubt like many of you, I am an infrastructure nerd.
And that means I really love coming to Melbourne.
Because what makes this a truly international, forward-looking city is the infrastructure that serves its people, its economy and its cultural heart.
It was Victorians that transformed an old railway yard into Federation Square.
And that delivered on the vision of a gold standard Olympic Park and MCG precinct that brings sport to the city and brings the city to life.
It was Victorians that built the West Gate Bridge and that invested in and retained a suburban tram network that is the envy of the world.
And of course, it was Victorians that built the Metro Tunnel.
That piece of infrastructure is an extraordinary achievement.
And the way Melburnians have embraced it is truly a measure of its success.
Thousands of people getting to work and home again quicker every single day.
Boosting productivity. Slashing travel times.
It is underground rail at its best – because it fits with the rhythm of people’s lives.
And the next part of that project is already taking shape.
Last month, I stood with Premier Carroll to announce the next stage of Airport Rail.
A project talked about for a long time, but that has taken two Labor governments working together to get moving.
The Commonwealth has committed $7 billion to this project.
And the next stage builds on the work that is already under way.
Including our commitment to the expansion of Sunshine Station, and planning for the electrification of trains out to Melton.
What those investments show is that Airport Rail is about more than just delivering a trainline.
It is a crucial part of a comprehensive vision of a city that is connected up.
From Tullamarine to the CBD and the West.
The Suburban Rail Loop East, linking up train lines in four different directions and transforming Melbourne’s suburban edge.
Investments in the North East Link and the Western Freeway Corridor servicing the suburbs and cities of the future.
All these projects fit together.
And that is why my Government backs them.
Because they build a city serviced by good transport and infrastructure that drives growth and productivity.
A city that its people love to live in.
What has always made Melbourne the place to be is not just its hard infrastructure.
It is the people who live here.
The generations that have worked hard to build an open and prosperous city.
A city with a thoroughly multicultural heart.
From the old industrial suburbs re-energised by Greek and Italian migration after the war.
Out to the west and southeast, where places that were once country outposts are now thriving and dynamic suburbs.
Werribee and Frankston.
Point Cook and Dandenong.
Melton and Sunbury and Cranbourne.
It is in communities like these, all around the city and out to the regions, that we find what makes Melbourne such a powerhouse.
Australians of every faith, culture and background living in unity and guided by aspiration.
People born here.
And those who have come to Australia in search of a better life for themselves and their families.
Australians who, in every case, work hard to build their success.
Who take risks and grow businesses.
Who build our nation’s skills base and energise our workforce.
Australians who celebrate their heritage with pride.
And do it with a deep love of this country in their hearts.
That energy and openness that belongs to everyone is what defines Melbourne as a great Australian city of culture.
A city with a vision.
And with a clear view of the bright future that lays before it.
I look forward to the work of this Assembly helping to build that future.
Thank you.