Wednesday, 21 June 2023

Adjournment

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Water, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Commonwealth Games Legacy, Minister for Equality) (17:40): I move:

That the house do now adjourn.

Beaconsfield level crossing removal

Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (17:40): (299) I raise a matter for the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, and the action that I seek is that the minister update the house as to how the local Beaconsfield community will be supported during construction and how the potential impacts will be managed during the removal of the level crossing at Station Street, Beaconsfield. This level crossing project will be one of 22 along the Pakenham line that will ensure the entirety of this line is level crossing free by the end of the decade. A road bridge will be built over Station Street in Beaconsfield that will remove the need for vehicles to cross at the crossing. This project will ensure the safety of motorists and pedestrians into the future and reduce the congestion that currently exists at peak times. I had the pleasure of working with the Beaconsfield community earlier this year in campaigning to save the historic railway house and the precious Indigenous bunya-bunya tree, and I am delighted to have the minister’s commitment to protecting and preserving these two valuable local historic amenities as part of this project.

Since then the Level Crossing Removal Project has undertaken further community consultation, and as a result surveys have found valuable feedback from residents in terms of the nature, the design and the operation of this new road bridge. There have been some concerns raised with the project team and with me. Some of these concerns surround the safety of students walking from Beaconsfield station to St Francis Xavier school, the potential for increased traffic entering and exiting Goff Street, the temporary closures of train station parking and impacted driveway access. Beaconsfield is a close-knit town. With this investment in the town, the thought of potential disruption can be a bit overwhelming, and we understand this. The timing of the project is still important given the significant growth in housing in Beaconsfield South, and I would like to raise these concerns as potential impacts with the minister so that she can ensure that our residents are heard and supported during the construction of this project.