Wednesday, 13 May 2026

 Trung LUU (Western Metropolitan) (18:44): (2518) My matter is for the Minister for Public and Active Transport regarding the ongoing delay in delivering essential public transport in Mount Atkinson. The action I seek is for the minister to provide a clear and transparent timeline for the urgent commencement of bus route 140. A responsible government should ensure that infrastructure keeps pace with the community’s changing needs. At present Victorians are in the middle of a fuel crisis, to which the government has responded by providing free public transport. But what about the community in my electorate, in Mount Atkinson, which cannot benefit from this assistance due to a complete absence of public transport infrastructure in the area? It is no good having free public transport when there is no access to public transport infrastructure. Mount Atkinson is one of the fastest growing communities in Victoria. It had zero residents in 2017 and 11,000 residents living there by the year 2025.

Despite this, there is no indication of scheduled bus routes inside Mount Atkinson. Indeed the nearest public bus stop is outside the suburb, along the main route, which is about a 30- to 50-minute walk, depending on where you live in the suburb. This is an enormous amount of time just to be able to access public transport. My Mount Atkinson locals are right to call the suburb a bus desert.

Inequality in the west is not uncommon under this Labor government. This needs to change. Mount Atkinson residents are faced with an enormous increase in daily expenditure due to not having access to public transport for work, education, medical services and groceries, compared to those living in the eastern suburbs, especially those with established public transport, who have now been given $34 billion for the Suburban Rail Loop. There has been promise after promise. Funding of bus route 140 was announced in the previous budget in 2025–26. However, a year has passed since the announcement and no buses are operating, no timetables have been published and no confirmed start date has been given. It is unacceptable. There has been continuous delay in delivering this basic public transport infrastructure to my constituents in the west. So, Minister, could you please provide an update, with a very clear timeline, on when this promised bus route 140 will begin? The residents of Mount Atkinson deserve the same level of affordability and infrastructure as everyone else in Victoria.