Tuesday, 15 October 2019

 Mrs McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:57): My constituency question is for the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, and it concerns the export of rail jobs to China and the potential closure of the Ballarat railyards operated by Alstom. Alstom currently employs 70 workers in Ballarat but is expecting to launch an exit plan within the next few months if the state government does not extend its contract beyond next April. Alstom pays workers between train construction jobs to carry out works that benefit the community. Alstom is highly regarded by its workforce. Alstom’s closure would be extremely detrimental to the local Ballarat economy. My question to the minister is: does the government intend to extend its contract with Alstom for the construction of Victorian trains, and can the minister assure workers that she and the Premier will come to Ballarat to meet with the company and its workers?