Thursday, 19 February 2026

 Jade BENHAM (Mildura) (17:10): (1541) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, and the action I seek is for her to maintain the Sunshine regional link crossovers during the development of Sunshine station. I have had every council in my electorate write to me about this issue, and I am hoping that some common sense will prevail here. The latest letter that I received was from Cr Andrew McLean, who is the mayor of Yarriambiack Shire Council, and I want to read this letter to you because I think it is very succinct and very clear. Cr McLean says:

We are extremely concerned about the future of rail freight in Victoria.

As part of the redevelopment at Sunshine Station, it is proposed that the regional link crossovers are to be removed.

If these crossovers were to be removed, the primary access to the Port of Melbourne would be via the congested Geelong / Werribee Line.

The Geelong Line is a mix of standard, dual and broad gauge lines and is part of the Australian Rail Track Corporation corridor. Passenger Rail services have priority over freight services in Victoria.

Funnelling additional freight through the Geelong corridor will add to congestion on a rapidly growing passenger line.

Rail Freight Operators would be required to travel an additional 47 kilometres, increasing train cycles times, fuel and crewing costs.

In addition to that, rail freight from Mildura and coming down the Mildura line is already redirected because the Murray Basin rail project has not been completed. With the standardisation of the Maryborough freight corridor, once they get to Maryborough – no, they do not even get to Maryborough; they have to go via Ararat, which is like driving to Melbourne via Shepparton. It makes absolutely no sense. Adding an additional 49 kilometres to that trip will congest it and make it completely unviable for rail freight from Mildura. It is already inefficient, which is why we are having bigger trucks every single year – because we are being more productive every single year, with improved farming practices producing greater yields. If we do remove the Sunshine regional crossovers, that will just add more trucks to the road, and we know that this state government cannot maintain the roads anyway with the way they are. I am sure the member for Lowan will be well aware of an affectionate term called the ‘Wimmera wave’, which I know the Sunraysia Highway has and the Hattah-Robinvale Road has. They all have that wave because of the very, very heavy trucks. Why on earth would we push more freight onto the roads rather than try to not only maintain the rail freight that is there but actually improve it?