Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has committed to serve a full four years if Labor is re-elected as he flags another expansion of a pet project.
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In Melton on Thursday, Mr Andrews announced the removal of four more level crossings by 2028 and a station rebuild for the area in Melbourne's west as he made it clear he has no plans to relinquish the top job.
"Absolutely," he said at Cobblebank Station when asked if he would commit to serving the full four years if his government secures a third straight term in office.
"I serve at the pleasure of the Victorian community and my colleagues. I've got lots of stuff to build, lots of reform to make and a lot of things to get on with."
The 50-year-old fractured his spine and broke several ribs when he slipped and fell in the Mornington Peninsula in March last year.
He was off work for almost three months as he recovered from his injuries, with former deputy James Merlino serving as acting premier.
Mr Merlino will retire at the next election and Mr Andrews said he did not intend to hand over the reins to new deputy Jacinta Allan in the next term.
"I didn't come back to head off," he said.
"I came back to keep working hard and that's why we're running again."
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy cast doubt on the premier's commitment.
"No one believes a thing that guy says," he told reporters.
"The person standing next to him, Jacinta Allan - she'll be the premier halfway through the term if he's re-elected."
If Labor wins the November 26 poll and he serves the full four years, Mr Andrews will have been Victorian premier for almost 12 years - the second-longest serving premier behind Liberal icon Henry Bolte.
Mr Andrews' vow comes as pressure mounts on the Victorian government to reverse its controversial pledge to rename a hospital in Melbourne's outer east as part of a proposed redevelopment worth up to $1.05 billion.
The government last month announced Maroondah Hospital would be rebuilt and renamed Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, stripping the site of its Indigenous title.
More than 53,000 people have signed a petition to stop the hospital renaming delivered to the premier's parliamentary office by the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria on Thursday.
Assembly Co-Chair Marcus Stewart was hopeful public pressure would prompt a rethink from Mr Andrews.
"We've lost enough of our culture, our history and our people thanks to colonialism," he said.
"It would be a real misstep to erase an Aboriginal name to make room for the very symbol of colonialism."
The premier remains unmoved.
"We're building a brand new hospital and it needs a brand new name," Mr Andrews said.
Across town, the Victorian coalition promised to extend train services in Melbourne's booming southeast as part of a $1 billion election pledge.
The $928 million proposal would extend and fully electrify the Cranbourne line to Clyde, create new Metro stations in Cranbourne East and Clyde and upgrade Cranbourne Station.
The City of Casey is one of Australia's fastest-growing communities, with its population predicted to reach 550,000 by 2041.
"There will be more people here than our nation's capital," opposition transport infrastructure spokesman Matt Bach said.
Australian Associated Press
