Tuesday, 31 March 2026

 David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan) (18:02): (2446) Westerners waiting for public transport improvements rejoice, for there are extra Sunday train services from Laverton to Altona. Imagine travelling along a scenic return journey through Melbourne’s inner west and along Port Phillip Bay at Altona. Alas, last Sunday was the last day when western residents could experience a time when public transport was a source of pride and a well-run metropolis was judged on its regular train services. Steamrail Victoria ran a series of one-way steam locomotive trips, with return shuttles on a schedule that would make a local commuter weep. Nostalgia is delightful but gives cold comfort to those parts of the west so lacking in public transport options. Similarly, the government’s announcement of free public transport is poor consolation for the same reasons. What is the benefit of travelling free on public transport if it does not exist in the first place?

We know that buses are the cheapest, easiest and most flexible option for addressing the gaps in our transport infrastructure. Victoria’s bus plan, released by then Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll back in 2023, recognised that too. The key objective of the 2023 bus plan was to work with industry to develop a bus reform implementation plan to transform the bus network and align it to meet growing demand. Splendid! Ambitious! It was the sort of aspiration we would expect from a Labor government. Sadly, Victoria’s bus plan was rejected by cabinet in 2023. This was particularly disastrous for the outer west, one of the fastest growing regions in Australia, which is still left with a patchwork of badly underserviced public transport deserts. People need accessible, cheap transport.

We are in the midst of a fuel crisis that will not be resolved any time soon. Families in the outer west, deprived of accessible public transport and thus already spending a fortune on petrol, will have no choice but to absorb the fuel hikes. Meanwhile communities in wealthier leafier suburbs, well serviced by public transport, will reap the benefits of this taxpayer-funded public transport largesse. Now more than ever we need a bus plan. The action I am seeking is that the Minister for Public and Active Transport provide an update on when the government intends to release a revised bus reform implementation plan to provide some public transport relief to the outer western suburbs.