North-Eastern Metropolitan Region
Nick McGOWAN (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (13:13): (1018) My constituency question relates to, of all things, Ringwood East train station. That will not be new to members of this place, because I am often speaking about it. I had a bit of a bad weekend, you would be sad to hear, I am sure, when I learned that the community liaison group – that is the group set up to assist communities and in particular traders in this case along Railway Avenue in Ringwood East – has been disbanded. It has been disbanded notwithstanding the fact that the station is nowhere near complete. This should not come as a surprise, because of course we are putting the donkey well ahead of the cart yet again. For the locals this is actually a serious matter because it means that they are no longer getting the support to attract local constituents to come and shop there. They are no longer getting the support to include their voice and have it heard in the continuing construction, which seems to be never-ending. Notwithstanding the fact that the level crossing removal itself has been completed, the station has not. It is lamentable. I seek action from the minister responsible, which is Danny Pearson, to reinstitute the community liaison group at his earliest convenience.