Tarneit train station
Ms CONNOLLY (Tarneit) (19:06): (6349) My adjournment is for the Minister for Public Transport, and the action I seek is that the minister join me at Tarneit train station to kick off the beginning of the works on the 500 new and upgraded parking spaces. I can still remember when we announced these car parking spaces, I think it was four years ago in October, with my federal colleague and great friend Joanne Ryan and our awesome soon-to-be Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and that these car spaces would be co-funded by a federal Labor government all the way back then. Now, unfortunately what we got instead was a car park rort, giving spaces to stations that quite frankly did not need them and that have gone past the drawing board whilst busy stations like ours in Tarneit in the west missed out on federal support. It has taken a while and a great deal of planning to get this right. But I am very pleased to say that works are set to begin on construction, making these 500 spaces a reality in a matter of weeks. On top of this, the station will also now be benefiting from a new bus interchange on the southern side, improving access for commuters who take one of the many, many busy bus routes in the electorate that go to this station. This has certainly been a journey—for some people a long journey—in Tarneit for commuters who catch a train at the busiest V/Line station in the state behind Southern Cross. It has been a long journey, but we are going to have a great outcome. So I look forward to having the minister down in Tarneit to watch shovels hit the ground and work begin on making the Tarneit station more accessible for commuters both now and well into the future.