A sense of purpose and activity

Victorian voters have delivered their electoral judgement and emphatically returned the Andrews Labor Government for another four year term.

The one thing to be said about the Victorian result is that it wasn’t a vote against growth.

Melbourne is Australia’s fastest growing city and is feeling some growing pains, yet the electorate returned a sitting government which ran on a big infrastructure agenda, not a plan to slow population down.

The Andrews Government’s infrastructure program has largely been well-executed and is clearly delivering results. Whether it’s the widening of the Tullamarine freeway to the airport, the removal of 29 level crossings, or getting to work on the Melbourne Metro project, there is a sense of purpose and activity.

Among everything else the electorate voted on, they also clearly responded to a new set of infrastructure promises underpinning a strong positive agenda for the future. Victorians seem prepared to put up with some short term inconvenience when they can see the tangible and longer term benefits.

Hopefully that ‘can do’ spirit will be brought to the table by all our state and territory governments when they meet in Adelaide for COAG next month to begin a welcome discussion on aligning population growth with the infrastructure and services that Australians need.