Wednesday, 25 May 2022

Mildura electorate public transport

Ms CUPPER (Mildura) (14:21): My question is for the Minister for Public Transport. The Mallee is not exactly well served when it comes to public transport. We are the only major regional centre in Victoria without a passenger train service. It was taken from us by the Liberal Party in 1993 and has not been restored by any successive government since. When it comes to denying the state’s most isolated region this most vital essential service the big parties are united. The government is already very clear about my views on passenger rail, but it is not just public transport between Melbourne and Mildura that is a problem but transport within Sunraysia too. The 2022 budget contained money for bus reviews. Mildura’s bus network has not been reviewed for 20 years. Will the Mallee be receiving any of those funds?

Mr CARROLL (Niddrie—Minister for Public Transport, Minister for Roads and Road Safety) (14:22): Thank you very much to the independent member for Mildura. She is right—I think it was closed by the Kennett government about 29 years ago while the National Party stood silent in the party room. It is a very good question, and it is actually very good to have the independent member ask a question on public transport because she understands the opportunity that comes when it comes to building back better—because we do know, if I can just tell the independent member, coming out of COVID we have seen public transport, particularly buses, being one of the most resilient forms of public transport.

A member interjected.

Mr CARROLL: I will come to you in a minute, shadow minister. We have seen it become one of the most resilient forms of public transport. For the first time in our history, whether it is Melbourne, London or New York, bus patronage was higher than rail patronage, and that is why the last state budget invested $109 million in buses. But more than that it is very important, and the independent member acknowledges her region, in addition to the closure of the railway line, is a region that needs to have better bus service improvements. That is why—and we have got some members from the Brumby government here—we are the first government since 2006 that has released a dedicated bus plan that focuses on all of Victoria and puts unprecedented investment of over $500 million in buses. But more than that too, it is vitally important that we use this opportunity coming out of COVID to ensure zero-emissions buses, on-demand buses and those services that you highlight. The independent member asked a very specific question about bus service reviews, and I commit to working with her and Mildura Rural City Council to ensure whether it is students going to Latrobe University in Mildura, whether it is students going to Sunraysia TAFE, whether it is elderly members of her community getting to the hospitals and the precincts, that they have ample opportunity. So I welcome working with the independent member for Mildura. We are very committed to implementing our bus plan. We do see a great opportunity—

A member: Keep going.

Mr CARROLL: Keep going? I will keep going, considering you changed the railway to Mildura and we are investing in it. It is vitally important. Let me just while I am speaking—

Members interjecting.

Mr CARROLL: say the regions are very important, because under this government we are going to roll out zero-emissions buses—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member for South Barwon is warned.

Mr CARROLL: in the shadow minister’s electorate, which is vitally important too.

Members interjecting.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Member for Warrandyte, you are very close.

Ms CUPPER (Mildura) (14:25): Mildura is a growing city. We recently heard about a family who moved to a house near Sixteenth Street, which is just 10 minutes drive from Mildura CBD, and the family were shocked to discover that they were unable to access a bus service within a 15-minute walk from their house. The lack of bus services is a significant barrier to work, education and community participation. If the government decides to review our bus network, how will the community be consulted?

Mr CARROLL (Niddrie—Minister for Public Transport, Minister for Roads and Road Safety) (14:26): I thank the independent member for Mildura, and we will work with the local community. Obviously a 15-minute walk to a bus stop is way too long. We identified this in the planning—that we want very much for it to be every 10 minutes. It is vitally important, though, that you also consider, when it comes to buses, that they do have a benefit-cost ratio—for every $1 invested, returning $5 to the local community.

The independent member for Shepparton has equally been a great advocate for bus services, and we are very keen to work with the local independent member and very keen to give the independent member for Mildura a detailed briefing on our bus plan and what it means when it comes to supporting her community getting to either La Trobe University or Sunraysia and the shops and hospitals—to ensure that we really squeeze the lemon and have a very bright future for buses, because on this side of the chamber we realise that buses can go where rail cannot and— (Time expired)