The Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) is a government department in

Victoria, Australia Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in Au ...

. Commencing operation on 1 January 2019 as the Department of Transport (DOT), the DOT was formed in

machinery of government The machinery of government (sometimes abbreviated as MoG) is the interconnected structures and processes of government, such as the functions and accountability of ministry (government department), departments in the executive (government), exe ...

changes made by

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

Daniel Andrews Daniel Michael Andrews (born 6 July 1972) is an Australian politician serving as the 48th and current premier of Victoria since December 2014. He has been the leader of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since December ...

after the re-election of his Labor government at the

2018 Victorian state election Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the short ...

. The re-shuffle saw the "super-ministry" Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources abolished and its functions reassigned to the DOT and Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions. The department is responsible for ongoing operation and coordination of the state's transport networks, as well as the delivery of new and upgraded transport infrastructure. It also absorbed most functions of

VicRoads VicRoads is a government joint venture in the state of Victoria, Australia. In the state, it is responsible for driver licensing and vehicle registration. It is owned and operated through a joint venture between the Victorian government and a c ...

and

Public Transport Victoria Public Transport Victoria (PTV) is the brand name for public transport in the Australian state of Victoria, Australia, Victoria. It was the trading name of the Go Public Transport Development Authority (PTDA), a now-defunct statutory authorit ...

on 1 July 2019. On 1 January 2023, after the

2022 Victorian state election The 2022 Victorian state election was held on Saturday, 26 November 2022 to elect the 60th Parliament of Victoria. All 88 seats in the Legislative Assembly (lower house) and all 40 seats in the Legislative Council (upper house) were up for el ...

, the department absorbed the planning functions of Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and was renamed to its current name. The DTP supports four ministers in the third

Andrews Ministry The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which existed from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended. It was subsequently abolished under the Northern Ireland C ...

, holding five ministerial portfolios: Jacinta Allan, Minister for Transport and Infrastructure,

Melissa Horne Melissa Margaret Horne is an Australian politician. She has been a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the uppe ...

, Minister for Public Transport and Minister for Ports and Freight,

Ben Carroll Benjamin Alan Carroll (born 12 July 1975) is an Australian politician. He is the representative for the seat of Niddrie in the Victorian Legislative Assembly. Early years and education Ben was born in Airport West, Victoria.Lucas, ClayNiddri ...

, Minister for Roads and Minister for Road Safety and the Transport Accident Commission and

Sonya Kilkenny Sonya Kilkenny (born 15 May 1969) is an Australian politician. She has been a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since November 2014, representing the Electoral district of Carrum. Kilkenny first entered parliament at th ...

, Minister for Planning.

History

Background

Transport in Victoria has been managed by various government departments across different ministries. Following each state election, the

issues a Machinery of Government instrument, outlining how government responsibilities will be overseen by ministers and the organisation of the bureaucracy. The first Victorian government agency with a unified approach to transport planning was the

Ministry of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government age ...

, formed in 1951 as the earliest precursor to the current DOT. Renamed as the 'Department of Transport' in 1996, the agency underwent numerous changes in organisational structure. Transport responsibilities were merged under the Department of Infrastructure under the Kennett Government until the second incarnation of the Department of Transport was formed in 2008. The department was replaced by

Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure The Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure (DTPLI) was a department of the Government of Victoria. It was created in machinery of government changes in 2013 following Denis Napthine's appointment as premier, and was abolish ...

in April 2013, and then the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources in January 2015. Further changes were announced with the establishment of Transport for Victoria in June 2016 to provide a "new central transport agency to coordinate Victoria’s growing transport system and plan for its future".

Establishment

After the re-election of the Andrews government at the November 2018 state election,

changes divided the functions of the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources into two new departments. The Department of Transport absorbed all of the former department's transport functions. Jacinta Allan, who had been public transport minister in the previous structure, was promoted to a new role of Minister for Transport Infrastructure to lead the new department's focus on major road and rail projects. The new department was formally established on 1 January 2019, with Paul Younis as acting Secretary. On 26 March, he was confirmed as a permanent appointment to the position. As Secretary, Younis also held the position of acting Head, Transport for Victoria, an office established under section 64A of the '' Transport Integration Act 2010''. In the days following Younis' permanent appointment, the government announced a major restructure of its transport agencies, with statutory authorities

and

to be abolished as independent entities and incorporated into the Department of Transport. Government ministers claimed that the merger was a more modern approach to integrated transport planning; however, media reports and the state Opposition suggested that the changes were an attempt to reduce transparency and obscure cost overruns on major projects. The move received support from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, but was opposed by the Australian Services Union, representing many VicRoads staff. The Public Transport Users Association offered its cautious support for the changes, saying that although integration of planning functions was a positive, the merger risked creating an entrenched and inaccessible bureaucracy. The restructure took effect on 1 July 2019. All functions of the PTV and VicRoads were transferred to the Department of Transport, with the exception of VicRoad's registration and licensing functions and some heavy vehicle functions.

Planning functions

After the Andrews government was re-elected at the

, the planning functions of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning were merged into the DOT on 1 January 2023, and the department was renamed to the Department of Transport and Planning.

Ministers

, the DTP supports four ministers in the following portfolios:

Functions

The DTP had responsibility for the following policy areas: *

Public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

, including: ** Metropolitan trains ** Trams **

Buses A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

** Regional transport * Roads * Taxi industry and other commercial passenger vehicles * Maritime affairs * Transport infrastructure * Road safety * Walking and cycling *

Planning Planning is the process of thinking regarding the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning is based on foresight, the fundamental capacity for mental time travel. The evolution of forethought, the capacity to think ahead, is consi ...

(since January 2023) *

Property Property is a system of rights that gives people legal control of valuable things, and also refers to the valuable things themselves. Depending on the nature of the property, an owner of property may have the right to consume, alter, share, r ...

and land titles (since January 2023)

Agencies

Sector transport agencies

Public Transport Development Authority was also an agency of DOT until its abolition in July 2019. Road Safety Victoria was formed in August 2019.

Major Transport Infrastructure Authority

The Major Transport Infrastructure Authority (MTIA) was established on 1 January 2019 as an administrative office of the DOT, replacing the former independent administrative offices governing various infrastructure projects. It is led by Director-General Corey Hannett – formerly Coordinator-General of the project authorities – who is responsible to the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Jacinta Allan. MTIA was declared a transport body under the '' Transport Integration Act 2010'' in August 2019. Project teams within the MTIA, which were former independent administrative offices, are: *

Level Crossing Removal Project The Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP) is a program of the Government of Victoria, Australia, to remove 110 level crossings and rebuild 51 railway stations in Melbourne. After pledging the removal of 50 level crossings at the 2014 Victoria ...

- formerly Level Crossing Removal Authority * North East Link Project - formerly North East Link Authority * West Gate Tunnel Project - formerly Western Distributor Authority and West Gate Tunnel Authority *Major Road Projects Victoria - formerly Major Road Projects Authority *

Rail Projects Victoria Rail Projects Victoria (RPV) is an agency of the Government of Victoria, Australia, responsible for the management of certain major infrastructure projects on the Victorian rail network. Originally established as the Melbourne Metro Rail Authorit ...

- formally Melbourne Metro Rail Authority

Suburban Rail Loop Authority

The Suburban Rail Loop Authority was established in September 2019 as an administrative office of the DOT. It coordinates and plans the delivery of Suburban Rail Loop.

References

External links

Department of Transport and Planning websiteVictoria's Big Build – Major Transport Infrastructure Authority website
{{Road authorities in Australia

Transport Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, an ...

Transport in Victoria (Australia) Ministries established in 2019 2019 establishments in Australia Victoria