Political and business leaders outline competing visions for a Future Victoria

Held at Crown Melbourne in partnership with the Herald Sun, the annual event brought together politics and industry to examine how Victoria can position itself in a rapidly changing economic and technological landscape.

With the spotlight on SMART growth, discussions ranged from digital innovation and education to connectivity, infrastructure and liveability across metropolitan and regional Victoria.

Despite early interruptions, the audience heard keynote addresses and Q&A sessions from all three political leaders – Anthony Albanese, Jacinta Allan and Jess Wilson – alongside panel discussions featuring some of Victoria’s foremost businesses.

Together, they offered a broad perspective on the opportunities and challenges shaping the state’s future, and the steps needed to turn long‑term vision into reality.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

At last year’s Future Victoria the Prime Minister announced a $2 billion investment towards the Melbourne Airport Rail and Sunshine Station project.

This year he confirmed construction is now underway, with Infrastructure Minister Catherine King and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan marking the start of works. He also noted that a $1.2 billion suburban and regional road fund has expanded from three projects to 19, delivering road sealing, intersection upgrades and other works.

Prime Minister Albanese also announced the government’s next step on high‑speed rail, with the Newcastle-Sydney section moving into design and development, but stressed that the rail must eventually extend beyond Sydney towards Melbourne to deliver its full national benefit.

“Melbourne to Sydney is one of the busiest flight corridors in the world. I accept that I will not be the Prime Minister when High Speed Rail is finished but I am determined to be the Prime Minister who starts it,” he said.

Prime Minister Albanese added that nation‑building infrastructure, skills, energy and technology investment will be a key focus of May’s Federal Budget to lift productivity without adding to inflation pressures.

When asked about Victoria’s strengths for the future, he said it was important to accentuate the state’s advantages, including the Parkville medical precinct, tertiary institutions with strong international links, major events, and its role in critical minerals.

Premier Jacinta Allan

Premier Allan reiterated the Prime Minister’s backing of Airport Rail, noting the first step in delivering a rail link to Melbourne Airport and transforming Sunshine into a transport superhub.

Early designs for the new Sunshine interchange had been released and construction has begun. The Victorian Government also announced new Tottenham and Albion stations.

“We can say work has started. These new lines will get people to the airport faster or speed up trains through Sunshine and Tottenham, saving Victorians time every single day,” she said.

Premier Allan also reiterated her commitment to ‘adult time for violent crime’ for youth offenders and to strengthening the state’s Violence Reduction Unit, saying the measures were aimed at holding serious offenders to account while focusing on long‑term efforts to prevent violence and improve community safety.

Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson used her keynote to unveil her plans to tackle the housing crisis. Accusing Melbourne of going from “the most liveable to the most leaveable” city, her plan is aimed at boosting Melbourne’s city centre and fast-tracking housing estates on the outer metropolitan fringes.

Under the plan, Melbourne’s capital city zone (CCZ) would have heights lifted, more “mixed-use flexibility”, and expand beyond the CBD, Docklands and parts of Southbank to include North Melbourne, Fishermans Bend, all of Southbank, Parkville, Fitzroy and Collingwood.

Thousands of homes on Melbourne’s outer fringe would also be fast-tracked, speeding up the delivery of homes earmarked for growth areas and encourage more high-rise apartment towers in inner Melbourne by expanding the city edges.

“My team has a plan to improve housing affordability by releasing more land and bringing greater density to the inner city,” she said.

She said higher‑density city development would help address the gap in foot traffic across Melbourne created by increased work‑from‑home trends, which she supports – but not enshrining work from home as a legal right.

She also pledged to repeal five taxes, including those impacting independent schools, property owners and Airbnb owners, in her first 100 days in office, should she win the 2026 Victorian State Election.

Panellists

The event also saw two panels of speakers discussing their organisations’ roles in building a future Victoria.

Panel one, Digital Innovation, Education & Smarter Communities, featured:

• Will Irving, Chief Strategic Transactions Advisor, NBN
• Rory Costelloe, Founder, Executive Director, Villawood Properties
• Dr Werner van der Merwe, Vice President, Innovation and Enterprise, Swinburne University.

Panel two, Powering Connectivity, Tourism & Economic Growth, featured:

• Martin Pakula, Chair, Crown Melbourne
• Lorie Argus, Chief Executive Officer, Melbourne Airport
• Michelle Jablko, Chief Executive Officer, Transurban.

Key themes included:

• A $4.5 billion expansion of Melbourne Airport’s international terminal to facilitate more flights to more locations, with the remodelled international gateway set to create thousands of jobs.
• A $200 million investment by Crown Melbourne, its biggest in 30 years, will build 15 new bars and restaurants as well as Australia’s first race car simulator, and is set to reshape the city’s Yarra River Walk.
• Smart technology built by toll road giant Transurban in new motorways like the West Gate Tunnel will one day enable driverless cars to plug into systems and “see” ahead of their in-built sensor range.
• Villawood’s recent housing sustainability innovations include: rooftop “sponge city” gardens to capture rain to grow food and cool homes; integrated rainwater systems that reuse water; and shared rooftop solar microgrids that feed into a central battery. The latter saved one resident about $5,000 per year on energy costs.
• NBN emphasised its commitment to a reliable network, regardless of where people live, so connectivity does not constrain how they live or work. It also noted the rise of “mixed reality” technology, where digital environments enhance real‑world activities and help people learn more while doing them. For example, Swinburne University utilises AI and VR to transform its classrooms into mock hospitals, chemistry labs and even aeroplanes.
• The current technology supercycle also means Swinburne is seeing learning become a lifelong endeavour, with more mature-age students enrolling, while more people increasingly choose careers driven by purpose rather than a single profession.