Tuesday, 16 November 2021


Constituency questions

Western Victoria Region


Western Victoria Region

Mrs McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:23): (1510) My question is for the Minister for Public Transport, Ben Carroll, and concerns the installation of boom gates at the Lydiard Street level crossing in Ballarat. Yesterday, 534 days after a train smashed through the heritage gates, the crossing finally became usable to traffic. $10.5 million has been spent on this temporary solution. However, I was in Maryborough yesterday and stood outside a rail depot where it is well understood that a replica set of the heritage gates is in storage. The gates were in Ballarat on the day the train crash happened, I am assured. The next day, I am also told, they were hurriedly and quietly moved to Maryborough. My question to the minister is: why weren’t these heritage gates put in immediately, and when will the permanent solution, adhering to Heritage Victoria’s demands that the heritage gates be replaced, finally be installed?