Tuesday, 3 October 2023

Sandringham electorate transport infrastructure

Brad ROWSWELL (Sandringham) (13:04): I encourage the newly minted Minister for Transport Infrastructure and Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop to show greater empathy and understanding of the Highett community when it comes to the level crossing removals at Highett Road and Wickham Road in Highett. The Labor government has committed to sky rail at Highett Road and Wickham Road against the wishes of my community, and I say to the new Minister for Transport Infrastructure: please do the right thing by the residents of Highett. Please listen to the residents of Highett. Please come down to Highett and hear firsthand the concerns of the Highett community, who do not want their community divided by sky rail. They also want the level crossings removed quicker than by 2029, which is the current commitment of the new Allan Labor government.

Further, the government wrongly plans to do away with half of the Sir William Fry Reserve in Highett. The Sir William Fry Reserve of course is the start of the Suburban Rail Loop, but at the same time they have plans to develop, with 26-metre-high residential towers, the former Gas and Fuel land on the Nepean Highway in Highett. What the Highett area actually needs at the moment is master planning of that area, which is why I have called on the government to pull together a cross-agency working group to get this right for my community.