Wednesday, 13 May 2026

 Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:28): (2512) My adjournment this evening is for the Minister for Public and Active Transport, and it concerns the large amount of bus upgrades that we have seen very excitedly announced in the Treasurer’s budget last week. I would like to have an update from the minister on the very many upgrades in the South-Eastern Metropolitan Region, specifically in regard to a number of routes that I am very excited about.

For one, we are going to see a reform to route 795, which will for the first time not just bypass around the edge of but directly serve the two suburbs of Junction Village and Botanic Ridge, just to the south of Cranbourne. It will also see a dramatic increase in frequency, going up from five buses a day to an hourly service. That will then continue, with buses branching in to serve different parts of the Casey coastal villages. There is also going to be the introduction of a new route 896, which will serve for the first time communities in the south-east of Cranbourne, including the Livingston and Mayfield Estates, with a minimum weekday frequency of every 40 minutes. Clyde and Clyde North will continue to see further new bus services, with the extension of routes 888 and 897. In the case of the former route, the 888, the main Clyde Road corridor route is being upgraded as well to a new weekday daytime frequency of 20 minutes, up from 60 minutes.

Indeed in other parts of the south-east as well we are seeing dramatic service upgrades, including through the very important Dandenong North corridor – I know that is an area very close to my colleague Mr Tarlamis – with the reform of the existing routes 802, 804 and 862 into a combined, simplified and massively upgraded new route structure. We are taking three disparate, disconnected and meandering routes that link from Dandenong through to the northern part of the area and onto Waverly, Monash and Chadstone into two new routes, leading to a simple, direct, high-frequency and quicker journey time as a result on route 802.

This will see frequencies of up to every 15 minutes on that central key corridor and will then be supported through the connecting areas by the supporting new route 804. Indeed, down in the sand belt as well we are going to see a major upgrade to route 833 and a whole overhaul as well of the 777 linking Carrum Downs directly through Skye and Seaford with Karingal Hub. I know the member down there, the member for Carrum, has been particularly excited about that, just as the member for Cranbourne has been very excited about the 795. We did actually get to spend some time with her down at Botanic Ridge shops just recently and, talking to locals about it, to say there was a positive reaction would be a distinct understatement. I would like to acknowledge all those local members for their advocacy and indeed reiterate that the action that I am seeking is an update on how this year’s state Labor budget is delivering significantly improved bus services for the south-east of Melbourne.