Tuesday, 10 May 2022

Adjournment

Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (16:51): I move:

That the house do now adjourn.

Wyndham Harbour public transport

Mr FINN (Western Metropolitan) (16:51): (1892) I must say, the effectiveness of the new whip is outstanding, and I commend him on his work in getting us out of here so early. The last bloke was not flash, so it seems.

I wish to raise a matter for the attention of the Minister for Public Transport, and it concerns a recent visit I made to meet with the management of Wyndham Harbour, which I think is a very, very exciting development down on the water just in Wyndham. I am sure—well, I hope—the minister is aware of Wyndham Harbour. It is a sensational spot and I would imagine, although it was a bit chilly down there the day I was there, on a warm, very pleasant day it would be a magnificent place to visit and it has, as I saw it, huge potential to change the way people view the west, the way people live in the west and the perception of what the west is all about. It is something that I have been excited about for quite some time, and when I went down there and saw the development that had occurred I was exceedingly impressed. I hope that it will be expanded upon, because I think it has huge potential to be expanded upon. I think when we foresee what is coming we will see hotels, we will see bars, we will see all sorts of things down there: an entertainment precinct where we will be able to sit by the water, have a sip of lemonade—or maybe prosecco, you never know—and enjoy the very pleasant evening, as it may be, down at Wyndham Harbour.

The trouble is there is very little public transport, and this is a major problem because of course Wyndham Harbour would have to be, I reckon, close to 10 kilometres from Werribee, which is the nearest railway station, and that is something that obviously presents a problem for people who are using public transport. So what we need is an extension of the current bus services to Wyndham Harbour. Of course it would not just be to Wyndham Harbour but would also service Werribee South, which is also a growing community, so I think it would bring a huge number of benefits to people who are moving into that part of Wyndham. I think it is really going to be something very, very exciting. I think a proper public transport system and a proper bus service—failing that, a train service at some stage might be nice too, but a bus service at this point—would be very good. So I ask the minister to review the timetable for buses to visit Wyndham Harbour and Werribee South and ensure that that service is provided to the people who live in those areas.