Thursday, 4 December 2025

 Rikkie-Lee TYRRELL (Northern Victoria) (23:43): (2221) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Public and Active Transport, and the action I seek is a commitment from the minister to invest $3.1 million for urgent rail safety upgrades in Avenel. Avenel is a growing town in my region of Northern Victoria. With new housing developments on the west and north-west of the township, more young pedestrians find themselves crossing the dangerous train lines to reach essential services like schools, the chemist, a medical clinic and the post office. In April this year a 10-year-old girl was seriously injured when she was hit by a freight train on the Melbourne–Sydney rail line on Bank Street. This incident could have been avoided if the crossing had been fitted with auto-locking gates. The Avenel community are not asking for much in the grand scheme of things. It is but a drop in the bucket. But what price can you put on the safety of pedestrians? The people of Avenel are asking for three things. On the Bank Street crossing they are requesting four pedestrian mazes with active swing gates and four escape gates. At the Ewings Road crossing they ask for two pedestrian mazes with active swing gates and new footpath links to improve access and visibility. The last thing they are asking for is an upgrade to the car park and the linear park landscaping to improve safety for everyone using the station. These are not massive projects; they are simple safety measures that will greatly improve the lives of the residents of Avenel. The action I seek is a commitment from the minister to invest $3.1 million for urgent rail safety upgrades in Avenel.