Mildura electorate
Ms CUPPER (Mildura) (14:49): (6412) My constituency question is for the Minister for Ports and Freight, and the information I seek is in relation to rail freight infrastructure in Ouyen. According to a business case commissioned by Mildura Regional Development, by 2023 the volume of intermodal freight transported from far north-west Victoria to Melbourne is expected to be greater than 1 million tonnes or 65 000 to 75 000 shipping containers. In other words, we produce a lot of stuff and we have to transport it a very long way. That means we need freight rail infrastructure that maximises our efficiency, not only to ensure decent profit margins but also to minimise carbon emissions. The town of Ouyen is centrally located in the northern Mallee. Additional freight infrastructure in that town would deliver significant economic benefits to farmers of grain, fruit, mineral sands and other commodities within a wide radius from Murrayville in the west to Robinvale in the east. Can the minister advise whether the government is considering additional freight rail infrastructure for Ouyen?