Department of Transport and Planning

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, 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 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 November 2018 re-election of the Andrews government, 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, Transport for Victoria, an office established under section 64A of the Transport Integration Act 2010. 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 2022 Victorian state election, 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, including: • Metropolitan trains • Trams • Buses • Regional transport • Roads • Taxi industry and other commercial passenger vehicles • Maritime affairs • Transport infrastructure • Road safety • Walking and cycling • Planning (since January 2023) • Property 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. On 6 August 2025, public transport information provided by PTV was moved into 'Transport Victoria'. Road Safety Victoria was formed in August 2019. Transport for Victoria was originally created in 2017 as an umbrella agency for both VicRoads and Public Transport Victoria, to promote the concept of an integrated transport network. These responsibilities were taken over directly by Department in 2019. Transport for Victoria continues to exist as the statutory office of Head, Transport for Victoria, which serves as a separate legal person from The Crown and has several duties relating to contracts and ownership of assets. The position of Head, Transport for Victoria has been held by the secretary of the Department of Transport and Planning since 2019, and is currently secretary Jeroen Weimar. Victorian Infrastructure Delivery 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 Kevin Devlin who is responsible to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Danny Pearson. MTIA was declared a transport body under the Transport Integration Act 2010 in August 2019. Project teams within the VIDA (and previously MITA) are: Both former project teams were previously North East Link Authority, Western Distributor Authority and West Gate Tunnel Authority before 2019 • Metro Tunnel Project – formerly Rail Projects Victoria until April 2024 and previously Melbourne Metro Rail Authority before 2019 • Victorian Health Building Authority – previously its own independent authority until formation of VIDA Suburban Rail Loop Authority The Suburban Rail Loop Authority (SRLA) was established in September 2019 as an administrative office of the DOT. It coordinates and plans the delivery of Suburban Rail Loop. The authority became an independent statutory authority on 1 December 2021. == References ==