Tuesday, 3 March 2026

 Nick McGOWAN (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (21:36): (2369) My matter is for the Minister for Police. I would have everyone understand that over the weekend, you may have perhaps seen in the media some reference to our PSOs at train stations. Now, this is a much-treasured policy of those of us on this side of the house, because it was a very –

Bev McArthur interjected.

Nick McGOWAN: Well, there will be none left, that is right. It was a very fine policy because what it did was actually address the issue of the 1980s into the 1990s; we had lawfulness and all sorts of antisocial behaviour occurring right across the transport system.

Jacinta Ermacora interjected.

Nick McGOWAN: Unlawfulness – well picked up. That is right. There is very little lawfulness, unfortunately. But these days, of course, Labor has fixed that for us; you have just got complete unlawfulness.

Nonetheless, I digress from the latest policy approach of those opposite us, and that is to take PSOs off stations. We already know, because you have told us, that you are going to take PSOs off 120 stations.

Bev McArthur: How many stations are there?

Nick McGOWAN: There are quite a few. But they are going to remove PSOs permanently from 120 stations. Instead, they will be replaced with roving teams, which means they may be there from time to time, on a whim, a short minute’s notice, perhaps passing by. They may not even get off the train. They might just look through the window.

Richard Welch interjected.

Nick McGOWAN: If you are lucky, you will get a wave. I jest, but the true nature of the problem starts to reveal itself, because of course the government is refusing to release the names of those stations. I did an FOI request on this.

A member interjected.

Nick McGOWAN: That is right: they are refusing to release it. I got the response to the FOI just recently, and you will be pleased to know that the minister’s reason for not releasing this information to the public is because they want to provide it to the media, because they want to prioritise public safety. The prioritisation is of course the government’s publicity. So what they want to do is give this story to the media first before they give it to the public. So the public –

Bev McArthur interjected.

Nick McGOWAN: They want to increase their followers. That is right. Come hell or high water, they are going to find one way or another to increase their followers. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok – you name it, whatever is their folly for the day.

Bev McArthur interjected.

Nick McGOWAN: That is right, they want to increase their followers whichever way they do it. But this is not a way to increase your followers. In all seriousness, what we need at our stations, what I need right across my community, in the local electorate of Ringwood – and whether I am talking about Blackburn train station, Mr Welch, or whether I am talking about Nunawading, Mitcham, Ringwood, Ringwood East, Heatherdale, Heathmont and right across the line and right across the metropolitan services in Victoria – is certainty. Certainty, which we need not least for our women, for our young girls, for our seniors, for those who have ability constraints, for women, for men, for boys, for everyone. Everyone needs to have certainty so that they know and can choose which station they get off at, because they know that this government have taken PSOs off 120 stations. So I ask the minister to produce those lists now so we do not have to spend another night not knowing which stations Victorians can safely disembark at and actually have a PSO present to take them to their car if they so need it.