Tuesday, 13 August 2024

Broadmeadows train station

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (18:32): (1038) My adjournment is to the Minister for Planning and Minister for the Suburbs in the other place, and the action I seek is for more information on the so-called Broadmeadows train station working group as part of the Broadmeadows Revitalisation Board. The City of Hume’s website describes the Broadmeadows station as:

An outdated facility with poor accessibility and an unkempt appearance negatively impacts perceptions of safety …

It definitely does. We know that the station was recently ranked as Victoria’s fifth-worst train station in the RACV On Track survey. The council recently announced meetings of the so-called Broadmeadows train station working group, which is bringing communities, police and tenants together with the Department of Transport and Planning to advocate for funding from the government, which includes the member for Broadmeadows. I found this strange, as I note there was no acknowledgement of this working group on the department’s website. Is the council freelancing?

The Minister for Public and Active Transport has previously advised that the redevelopment of Broadmeadows station is planned as part of their Suburban Rail Loop North, which is not due to be delivered until 2052. Do residents of Broadmeadows have to wait another 28 years to see their station rebuilt, or does this new working group mean that things are finally happening?

The Hume community has been hoodwinked on a train station upgrade before, and all I see is another brazen attempt to deceive the community that Labor is doing something when there is no funding. The former member for Broadmeadows – and I know that we all miss him – Mr Frank McGuire long campaigned for an upgrade. In 2018 he said a solution was coming soon. Hopefully ‘soon’ is not 2052. He also said in advocating for this project:

Such bias against Broadmeadows must change, especially given that it has the greatest need and would deliver higher value …

Well, we see no such frank criticism from the current member for Broadmeadows. He also then announced that the train station upgrade was possible through the state government’s own Growing Suburbs Fund but later had to backflip and retreat from that as they did not meet the guidelines for that fund. So the action I seek from the minister is to advise what funding is being provided to support the working group, what funding has been provided to rebuild the station and when will the government get on with the job of improving Broadmeadows station?