Jacinta Allan defends acquisition of homes for Melbourne Metro Rail

Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan has dismissed suggestions Melburnians will react angrily to the compulsorily acquisition of homes as part of the Melbourne Metro Rail project.

The government announced on Tuesday it would acquiring ‘hundreds’ of properties and would begin consulting affected communities this week.

There was fierce opposition to the former government’s bid to acquire homes for the controversial East-West Link project, a decision that ultimately proved costly at last November’s election.

Ms Allan rejected suggestions on 3AW Drive her party was trying to do the same thing.

She remained hopeful there would be minimal opposition.

‘This is a very different project,’ Ms Allan explained on 3AW.

‘This is a project ? first and foremost ? Victorians voted for.

‘People may want to protest (but) I would hope they don’t because this is a really important project and one that this city and state needs.’

Ms Allan said the government would have an exact figure on the number of properties in the coming weeks after consulting those who would be affected.

‘We’d expect the number to be in the low hundreds,’ she said.

‘But that number will be finalised and those people will be appropriately contacted, directly by the Metro Rail Authority, as that work is finalised.

‘What’s really important is that people are treated with respect and are given the opportunity to have those direct conversations and that’s what’s being worked through.’

LISTEN: Jacinta Allan joins Nick McCallum on 3AW Drive