Thursday, 9 March 2023

Transport industry

Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Industry and Innovation, Minister for Manufacturing Sovereignty, Minister for Employment, Minister for Public Transport) (09:49): I rise in International Women’s Week to congratulate the transport industry sector, which every day is striving to better represent the community we serve. And in this International Women’s Week I want to congratulate and thank all the women on track or the women in rail that are contributing so much to our sector and its growth and serving the community we all strive for.

On Friday 24 February I had the great pleasure of attending the Metro Trains milestone dinner. It was a milestone dinner to recognise the staff of Metro Trains Melbourne and what they have done through the pandemic and beyond. At the event there were some 872 workers recognised, including 12 staff with an astonishing 50 years of service each – that is incredible. The combined total of service for these workers was over 22,000 years. On behalf of all members in this place, I want to take a moment to thank Joe Cavric, Joseph Lerm, Gary House, Neil Clendenning, Robin McMurray, Geoff Jacks, Peter Walhouse, Trevor Deutrom and Terrence Haby. Can I also thank Melbourne Storm, who participated in the evening and made a great contribution to the evening on culture and what it means to work in a team environment. The experience across our rail industry is astonishing, and I thank Metro. I also take this opportunity to thank our partners at Yarra Trams for the work they do. Can I thank Raymond O’Flaherty, the CEO of MTM, as well as everyone else that has been such an important part of this community.