Thursday, 13 November 2025

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (12:55): My constituency question is for the Minister for Public and Active Transport. Mildura is the only large regional city in Victoria not to be served by a passenger rail service, after it was closed by the Kennett government in 1993. Visitors or locals returning home are forced to pay for costly airfares or take a combined train and coach service. Mildura is increasingly isolated from the rest of the state. This has damaging effects and is detrimental for residents’ access to healthcare services, particularly for those living with a disability. Previous costings done by the Parliamentary Budget Office estimate that resuming Mildura to Maryborough services would cost the state less than $30 million. This has been supported by members of the Victorian Labor Party at state conferences through motions, and as recently as last month some of Mildura’s most prominent business minds backed the campaign to bring it back. When will the minister listen and bring back Mildura passenger rail?