New Victorian infrastructure strategy recommends 30km/hr speed limits on all local streets

What do you think about Infrastructure Victoria's plan for the next 30 years? What do you think are positive suggestions for the future? What is the strategy missing?

Author

Matthew Sims
March 04, 2025

A draft 30-year infrastructure strategy from Infrastructure Victoria recommends a new tram extension for the eastern suburbs between Wattle Park and Burwood East via the new Suburban Rail Loop Station, as well as a reduction of the speed limit across all local roads to 30 km/hr.

Released on Tuesday March 4, the strategy listed 43 draft recommendations and seven future options for Victoria across housing, energy, transport, health, social infrastructure and the environment.

The draft recommendations and future options are grouped under 6 objectives:

  • Providing good access to housing, jobs, services and opportunities;

  • Ensuring Victorians are healthy and safe;

  • Maintaining a thriving natural environment across the state;

  • Providing Aboriginal people with self-determination and equal outcomes to other Victorians;

  • Making the state resilient to climate change and other future risks; and

  • Keeping the state’s productivity high and maintaining a circular economy.

Recommendations included building more social housing across Victoria, expanding TAFE in the south east, phasing out residential stamp duties and running more and faster bus services.

The strategy also outlined the need for the state to become more climate resilient as Victorians will need infrastructure to work in a warmer, drier climate and withstand more extreme weather events.

Recommendations on how to improve the state’s climate resilience included using new flood maps to revise planning schemes, as well as guiding the transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy production.

Infrastructure Victoria chief executive Dr Jonathan Spear said the focus should not just be on creating new infrastructure, but making the most out of the state’s existing infrastructure.

“The government can prioritise getting better use from its existing assets, improve how it maintains infrastructure so it performs better and lasts longer, and publish long term plans so that other governments, industry and not-for-profit providers can make better informed choices on where and when to invest,” he said.

“Victorian Government agencies can do more to share their plans with each other, and with local governments and industry.

“This helps identify opportunities to pool funding or streamline delivery.”