Wednesday, 13 August 2025

Members statements

Geelong bus services

Chris COUZENS (Geelong) (10:15): As a lifelong resident of Geelong and having been the state member for almost 11 years, I have a good idea of the needs in the Geelong community and continue to advocate strongly on behalf of constituents. I am proud of the incredible people who work hard to ensure it stays that way. Whether it is those who volunteer to support and feed homeless people or those who continue to build the facilities the community needs or our teachers, nurses, doctors and firefighters or the First Peoples and multicultural communities who share their culture with us, Geelong is a welcoming and resilient city. This government has invested in revitalising central Geelong with the redevelopment of the Geelong Arts Centre, the Gordon TAFE, the new convention centre and the laneways project, to name just a few.

The proposal from the City of Greater Geelong’s Mayor Kontelj to remove public transport in Moorabool Street is concerning, given that bus users have clearly said they want the buses to remain in Moorabool Street, the centre of the city, to get to where they need to go. People travel into the city from all over the Geelong region for work, for appointments and for entertainment. Every vibrant city has accessible public transport running through it. It is the smart thing to do, particularly given that we want more people living in central Geelong. So I do not agree with the mayor’s proposal to remove the public transport from Moorabool Street. In fact I believe it will cause further disadvantage and issues of inequality and does not recognise people in our community.