Tuesday, 14 November 2023

 David SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (14:44): (410) My question is to the Minister for Transport Infrastructure. Considering the impacts of the level crossing removal down at Glen Huntly, we have had traders that have been really struggling financially. Does the government have funding available to support traders and pay for Christmas decorations along the Glen Huntly shopping strip? This is time to bring back some of that Christmas cheer. We know that, as I say, many of those Glen Huntly traders have really suffered. We see a number of shops that are shut, and COVID as well was a double whammy for many of these shops. Two years they have been both shut by the Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP) and have seen zero traffic through their front doors. As one local business said, the traders have had no compensation for closure, and no-one has been listening to their pleas for help. They ultimately are begging for anything that can be done. An update on what traders can do in terms of getting some funding from the LXRP would be beneficial.