“Whether it’s New Zealand, England, Ireland, where they can come across here into Victoria… it gives them the opportunity to come across, but it also fills the void of recruiting in a shorter period of time.”
She additionally recognised the contributions of volunteers from multicultural backgrounds, including members of the Indian Australian community serving in the brigade.
Critics argue the aggression reflects a government struggling to recalibrate its message against a leader who is neither internally divisive nor easily dismissed.
The incident has intensified scrutiny of the $26 billion North East Link project, which will connect the Eastern Freeway at Bulleen via a 10-kilometre corridor including 6.5 kilometres of tunnels.