Wednesday, 22 February 2023

 Will FOWLES (Ringwood) (19:11): (56) My adjournment matter is directed to Minister for Water in the other place, and the action I seek is for the minister to please arrange a briefing for my office on the current water main upgrades in Mitcham and the additional community amenities being installed in the Mitcham pipe track reserve at the conclusion of these works. I know firsthand how important green space is to my community and how it is treasured by locals right across the Ringwood electorate. Whether it is the beautiful Blackburn Lake Sanctuary, the legendary playground at Halliday Park, the Yarran Dheran Nature Reserve, Antonio Park and Schwerkolt Cottage, Simpson Park or Ringwood Lake, we are so lucky to have quality green spaces right across our community. It makes a world of difference for the local area, and it is one of the reasons why the Ringwood electorate is amongst our most livable.

That said, we can always do more, and the pipe track reserve in my electorate represents an opportunity to do just that. This green open space stretches from Heatherdale through Mitcham and right down to Forest Hill and beyond into the district of Glen Waverley. As I address this place, Melbourne Water are hard at work, because this strip of land is not just open space, it also serves as a key corridor for one of eastern Melbourne’s water mains, supplying communities across our city with high-quality drinking water. The two water mains under the pipe track reserve are reaching the end of their service life, having been installed in the 1910s and 20s. As such, Melbourne Water are hard at work replacing these mains with new state-of-the-art pipes to serve our community for decades and perhaps centuries to come. As we backfill the trench and unlock the pipe track reserve for community use once again, there will be new and exciting opportunities to restore and improve the open space for the community, which is just great news. In fact as part as their work so far Melbourne Water have identified the opportunity to install additional amenities along that reserve beyond what was in place prior to the works commencing, and that is exciting news because it means that residents from Heatherdale to Mitcham and Forest Hill will have improved public amenities on their doorstep.

I look forward to receiving a briefing arranged by the minister to hear firsthand about the exciting plans for the pipe track reserve in the near future and how Labor is doing what matters for Ringwood.