Tuesday, 31 October 2023

 Sarah CONNOLLY (Laverton) (19:08): (404) My adjournment is for the new Minister for Precincts, and the action I seek is that the minister join me at a future meeting of the community reference group for the Sunshine precinct master plan. The minister and I caught up in Sunshine just a couple of weeks ago to discuss the $140 million that our government has committed towards upgrading the Sunshine station precinct. In fact this is only for stage 1, because what we know is that there is so much more to do. Our government’s vision for Sunshine station is to create a transport super-hub – a major connection point for a number of train lines stopping at the station, including the Metro Tunnel; regional train lines to Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo; our future Melbourne Airport rail; and the Suburban Rail Loop.

The area surrounding the station is bursting with opportunities for investment to create new opportunities for local jobs and even a place for more people to call home. The first tranche of works covered in this $143 million is to deliver a series of works on the eastern side of the station, including a brand new bus interchange at Station Place, very much needed; better road connections in the vicinity of the station, very much needed; new station entrances; and green space. Everyone wants that, right?

For a project as big as this it is important to bring the community with us. That is exactly what we are doing with the community reference group, which meets regularly over the year to receive updates on works in the local area and provide discussion and importantly feedback on how we can achieve this vision for Sunshine. That is why I would greatly welcome the minister coming to a future meeting, taking part in these discussions and seeing firsthand the really great work that is being done to deliver on this very important precinct for Melbourne’s west.