Wednesday, 8 June 2022

 Dr BACH (Eastern Metropolitan) (18:00): (1971) My adjournment matter tonight is for the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, and it concerns the level crossing removal project in Parkdale. The action that I seek is for her to finally meet with Parkdale residents who are desperate to meet with her and to consider alternate solutions to the level crossing removal.

Back in July last year the Andrews Labor government announced the removal of several more level crossings across Victoria, and that announcement was very welcome. That was including the level crossing at Parkers Road in Parkdale. Now, Parkdale is a small community down in Melbourne’s south-east. It has a quiet, village feel and a tight-knit local community. Without consulting the residents or local businesses the government announced that this level crossing would be removed with a rail-over-road solution—sky rail. This is something we have seen at other places across Melbourne.

In Parkdale this has caused understandable angst and frustration for the tight-knit community. They have seen this solution thrust upon them. These residents love the feel of their local community, yet they have had this solution thrust upon them, which is in my view highly inappropriate. In particular the sky rail will be so high and so close to many residences and businesses. As a result there has been a local campaign, Save Parkdale. A rally was organised against the government’s design, with over 1000 residents attending, late last year. Residents are angry, in particular at the lack of engagement.

I was fortunate enough to head down to Parkdale recently to meet with local residents and indeed with this group. When I was there I gave a commitment that if the Liberals and Nationals have the honour to be successful at the upcoming election, we will remove the Parkdale level crossing but without sky rail. This commitment is informed by a huge amount of feedback that I have been very pleased to receive from the local Liberal candidate for the seat of Mordialloc, Phillip Pease. Since his preselection, Phillip has been incredibly active. He has been out doorknocking, he has been holding listening posts, he has been engaging with the local community and he has received a crystal clear message from them: ‘Remove the level crossing, of course, but do it with a rail-under-road solution’.

I was really disappointed to see that just last week the minister in fact went to Parkdale. She went to Parkdale; she met with the member for Mordialloc, Tim Richardson, who was invited to the rally I recently attended but did not bother coming. She had some photos taken in a hard hat and hi-vis, but she did not bother meeting with one single local. People in this part of the world are not antagonistic to the government; they want to work with the government for a solution. I am calling on the minister to meet them halfway.