Portfolio — 24 May 2026

Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King released three media releases on 24 May covering distinct but thematically connected portfolio activity: major urban tunnel delivery, coastal precinct investment, and regional aviation stabilisation.

The headline announcement is a construction milestone on the North East Link project in Bulleen, where tunnel boring machine Zelda broke through the northbound tunnel — completing excavation of the first of two three-lane tunnels [TA-260524-infras-6d50fea04dfb]. The project is projected to divert up to 15,000 trucks daily from local streets and cut travel times by 35 minutes.

The second tunnel bore remains underway. This is a joint Commonwealth-Victorian delivery and represents the most operationally significant announcement in the day's release suite.

On the same day, King confirmed a $15 million commitment to the Cottesloe Beach foreshore in Western Australia — $10 million from the Urban Precincts and Partnerships Program matched by $5 million from the Town of Cottesloe [TA-260524-infras-a182e80b32b8:m00AMR]. The investment funds a new plaza, widened footpaths, and a mixed-use thoroughfare. The Minister's release quantified employment outcomes at 37 ongoing retail jobs and 32 construction jobs.

The Urban Precincts and Partnerships Program instrument is a recurring vehicle in King's local government and regional development activity.

The third release addressed the aftermath of Rex Airlines' voluntary administration, disclosing that the Regional and Remote Airport Support Program has delivered full debt relief to 34 regional and remote airports, with individual payments ranging from $119,000 to $414,000 [TA-260524-infras-dd3b9e2c5030]. The release framed the program as ensuring aviation service continuity for communities that lost Rex coverage.

The records reference complementary programs — the Remote Airstrip Upgrade Program and the Regional Airports Program — as part of the broader support architecture, though the media release focused on debt relief as the primary instrument.

Across the three releases, King's communications on 24 May continue a pattern visible from the multi-jurisdictional road announcements of 22 May: joint-funded delivery with state and local government partners, targeted economic-outcome metrics attached to each announcement, and a deliberate spread across Victoria, Western Australia, and regional and remote Australia.

Today's releases extend that geographic and thematic range to tunnel infrastructure, coastal amenity, and aviation resilience. No parliamentary activity is recorded for this date.