The Department of Transport (DOT) is a

government department Ministry or department (also less commonly used secretariat, office, or directorate) are designations used by first-level executive bodies in the machinery of governments that manage a specific sector of public administration." Энцикло� ...

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 ...

. Commencing operation on 1 January 2019, it 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 ...

and Public Transport Victoria on 1 July 2019. Along with the

Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions The Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (DJPR) was a department in Victoria, Australia. Commencing operation on 1 January 2019, the DJPR supported six ministers across 10 portfolios, broadly related to economic development. Along with th ...

, the DOT was formed in machinery of government changes made by Premier Daniel Andrews after the re-election of his

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the la ...

government at the 2018 Victorian state election. The re-shuffle saw the "super-ministry"

Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources The Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR) is a former department of the Government of Victoria. It was created on 1 January 2015 by the government of Premier Daniel Andrews when the number of government depar ...

abolished and its functions reassigned. The DOT supports three ministers in the second Andrews Ministry, holding five ministerial portfolios:

Jacinta Allan Jacinta Marie Allan (born 19 September 1973) is an Australian politician serving as the 29th and current Deputy Premier of Victoria, deputy premier of Victoria since June 2022. She is a member of the Australian Labor Party (Victorian Branch), Vi ...

, Minister for Transport 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, and

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 The Transport Accident Commission (TAC) is the statutory insurer of third-party personal liability (CTP insurance in other states) for road accidents in the State of Victoria, Australia. It was established under the Transport Accident Act 198 ...

History

Background

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

, 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 The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...

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

in January 2015. Further changes were announced with the establishment of

Transport for Victoria Transport for Victoria is a statutory office of the Department of Transport that is responsible for the planning and coordination of all transport systems in Victoria, Australia. It acts as an umbrella agency for Public Transport Victoria (PTV, ...

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, machinery of government 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,

, an office established under section 64A of the ''

Transport Integration Act 2010 The Transport Integration Act 2010 (the Act) is a law enacted by the Parliament of the State of Victoria, Australia. The Act is the prime transport statute in Victoria, having replaced major parts of the ''Transport Act 1983'', which was renam ...

''. In the days following Younis' permanent appointment, the government announced a major restructure of its transport agencies, with statutory authorities

and Public Transport Victoria 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 The Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union (RTBU) is an Australian trade union representing rail, tram and bus workers. The RTBU is affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and the Australian Labor Party (ALP). Inter ...

, but was opposed by the

Australian Services Union The Australian Services Union (registered as the Australian Municipal, Administrative, Clerical and Services Union) is a trade union representing workers in a variety of industries. The ASU is affiliated with the Australian Council of Trad ...

, representing many VicRoads staff. The

Public Transport Users Association The Public Transport Users Association is a community-based public transport lobby group in Victoria, Australia, based in Melbourne. It is run entirely by volunteers and has no full-time staff. History and aims The organisation was founded ...

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.

Ministers

The DOT supports three ministers in the following portfolios:

Functions

The DOT has 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, typi ...

, including: ** Metropolitan trains **

Trams A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ar ...

** Buses ** Regional transport *

Roads A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

* Taxi industry and other commercial passenger vehicles * Maritime affairs *

Transport infrastructure 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, ...

Road safety Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures used to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, vehicle passengers, horse riders, and passengers of on-roa ...

Walking and cycling Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults o ...

Agencies

Sector transport agencies

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

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 ''

'' 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 Victor ...

- 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 The Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) is a fully automated rapid transit system under construction in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The project would connect suburbs from the Central Business District (CBD) along an approximately corridor. The two ...

References

External links

Department of Transport 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, pipelin ...

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

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...