Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a visit to Beveridge on Friday, announcing a funding commitment of $750 million for the Camerons Lane Interchange on the Hume Freeway.
The announcement comes after Treasurer Jim Chalmers delivered the 2024/25 Federal Budget last week, taking the government’s total commitment towards the project to $900 million, which will be used to see a full diamond interchange on the Hume Freeway at Beveridge.
This much-needed piece of infrastructure will be integral to the development of the Beveridge Intermodal Precinct (BIP).
Located on the Inland Rail route, it will support double-stacked container services for 1800m freight trains to Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, and Brisbane via Parkes, or directly to Sydney.
Mr Albanese said the BIP was expected to unlock 20,000 jobs.
“What it will do primarily, is create jobs in construction while it’s taking place, but importantly the Beveridge Intermodal will create some 20,000 jobs,” he said.
“These will be secured jobs, high paying jobs, across a range of areas and make such an enormous difference.
“When you create jobs, what you do is you stop people having to commute long distances to work – this is just so exciting.”
Mr Albanese visited Beveridge in January 2022 to announce a $150 million promise for the Camerons Road Interchange if Labor was elected – the same year the Morrison Government made a $1.2 billion budget promise for the delivery of the Beveridge Interstate Freight Terminal in the 2022/23 Budget.
Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell said the Federal Government’s announcement would deliver the project’s entirety.
“What we’ve done to speed the process up, is to have the Federal Government fully fund the whole thing,” he said.
“It’s just a massive positive, and it’s just been mucked around and when we got into government – and we said this before we got into government – this was all a mess, but we pledged that money in 2022, and we’re now delivering the money to do the whole thing in its entirety.”
National Intermodal is leading the development on behalf of the Federal Government.
National Intermodal Chief Executive James Baulderstone said National Intermodal was keen to start on the project.
“Beveridge will be connected to every metropolitan city in Australia – Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, and Brisbane – it will be double the amount of volume and consumer goods that go through any other place in Australia,” he said.
“It will effectively re-live and transform this area of northern Melbourne. Not only will you have a rail terminal, you’ll have over a million square metres of the most sophisticated warehouse precinct in the southern hemisphere.
“We’re really keen to get it up and running quickly – announcements are one thing, but delivery is what it’s really all about and we’d love to have this construction starting in the coming months with first phase opening towards the end of 2025.”
Neighbouring councils Mitchell Shire and City of Whittlesea both welcomed the significant funding commitment.
Mitchell Shire Mayor Councillor Louise Bannister said the Camerons Lane interchange had been a top priority for the council and the community for several years.
“This is a fantastic example of the delivery of much needed infrastructure to support growing communities,” she said.
“The BIP will fundamentally reshape freight and logistics on Australia’s Eastern seaboard. It is very exciting that Beveridge and Mitchell Shire sit at the heart of this transformation.”
City of Whittlesea Chair Administrator Lydia Wilson said the announcement was crucial to enabling infrastructure in an area experiencing rapid growth.
“We are pleased to see work continuing on this important regional project which will deliver an enormous boost to local employment,” she said.
“We will continue to work with National Intermodal, our neighbouring councils, and all levels of government to support this vital infrastructure project.”
