Wednesday, 27 November 2024

Petitions

Western suburbs bus services

David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan) (17:52): I move:

That the petition be taken into consideration.

I rise to make a contribution on the petition in my name before the house, drawing the Council’s attention to the inadequacy of bus services in Melbourne’s western suburbs and calling for the transformation of the western metropolitan bus network into a functioning network that people can actually rely on. So we are back talking about routes; we cannot seem to help ourselves. I spoke last week about improving the bus services in our outer suburbs, areas that are essential to all Melburnians – not just those privileged enough to live in the inner suburbs – and I spoke of people’s right to access public transport. I spoke of the limitations placed on people’s access to employment, education, health services and shops because they do not have public transport. I spoke of the financial burden on people who are forced to rely on private forms of transport. I spoke of the social disadvantage and isolation experienced by those without access to affordable and reliable public transport.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the western suburbs. While this petition is about buses, it is also about the western suburbs getting a fair share of the state’s resources. The west has always been taken for granted by state governments, until they need a dumping ground for toxic waste projects that will not fly in their own member’s electorate. The dire state of public transport in the west comes as a result of successive governments’ underinvestment and myopic planning. This is from a report I came across recently, and I would like to quote from it:

[QUOTES AWAITING VERIFICATION]

Often first home buyers have moved to western fringe areas because of lower prices. However, the price they have had to pay for transport and services has been high, as social infrastructure has lagged well behind residential development.

The report goes on to say:

For residents in these new growth areas, lack of planning or resources strands them without enough transport or other public facilities. Local councils in these areas struggle with barely adequate subsidies. Until we have a commitment by governments to baseline services, including transport, the problems will continue.

I think it is a bit of a case of: the more things change, the more they stay the same, because that was from a report titled Melbourne’s West: The Way Ahead – A Regional Strategy, published in 1988 by the Melbourne Western Region Commission.

Melbourne’s Western Region Commission was formed in 1977 and was made up of eight western suburb councils, seven of which sit within the current Western Metro Region, and it was with an aim to promote the development of Melbourne’s west to the federal government. Fed up with the lack of state funding for the west, they decided the only way forward was to bypass the state government and lobby the federal government directly, which I think is quite extraordinary. It is hard to say how successful the commission were in lobbying the feds. They certainly were not getting much love from the state government of the day, but perhaps we are seeing a slight shift in thinking.

I was really pleased to see government members expressing their wholehearted support for reliable, frequent and connected bus services during the very recent debate on a bus motion. And I read with great excitement on Tuesday of a new bus route connecting Eynesbury, one of the many public transport deserts in the west, with Melton station. Are we finally beginning to see the western suburbs getting some long-awaited public transport love from this government? I would really like to hope so. They could show even more love by reforming the bus network across the western metropolitan area into a fast, frequent, reliable and connected grid, as requested by their western suburbs constituents.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many residents and community activists across the west and the Friends of the Earth, who have worked and continue to work on this campaign. In closing, I would just like to observe that better routes make for better communities, and that is why everyone loves them. To the government we say: please, please get on the bus with us.

Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (17:57): It is a pleasure to rise today to make a contribution on this petition. At the outset I would like to thank all those who have signed the petition and those from Melbourne’s west who have made the trip into Parliament today. I want to assure you all with this petition that the Allan Labor government is committed to continuing to deliver a modern, safe and reliable bus service in the west as well as integrated and modern transport networks.

We recognise that Victoria’s bus network is an absolutely essential part of our state’s integrated transport system. It already carries over 135 million passengers a year – that is 21 per cent of all trips taken on metropolitan public transport – and that is why we have delivered new and additional bus routes as part of Victoria’s Bus Plan, and we will continue to make the investments required to get more Victorians where they need to go.

In Melbourne’s growing west we do have a strong record of investment in buses. We have announced and are in the process of delivering new and extended routes across Melton, Keilor, Tarneit, Laverton, Wyndham Vale and many other areas of the west. As a resident of Melbourne’s west for nearly 30 years, I understand very well the challenges of getting around the west – and not only around the west, across the west – to connect to different train lines and where people need to get to. We know that in our growing suburbs buses are central to local transport offerings. They provide alternative options for people rather than them having to travel in private vehicles, and for the young, the elderly and members of our community for whom driving is not an option, buses are sometimes the only way to get to where they need to go.

In terms of some of the specific investments that our government has made in the west, we have invested in 60 extra services per week; added to route 215, the Caroline Springs to Highpoint Shopping Centre route, in October last year; and a new bus interchange has opened as part of the new elevated Deer Park station, improving access for services. In April this year Wyndham received the largest share of more than $150 million through the Growth Areas Public Transport Fund, and this included more than $21 million for new bus connections between Harpley estate and Cornerstone estate communities and Wyndham Vale station. In November this year the Allan Labor government opened the Tarneit bus interchange on the south side of Tarneit railway station, providing passengers with direct access to the train station. We have also just announced a new route, 452, which will operate seven days a week, giving residents of Eynesbury and Weir Views bus services with the Melton station for the first time. The service is set to begin on Sunday 8 December, and it will provide much greater access to trains and other bus services. Residents of Weir Views will benefit from having a fixed bus route option as well as the current FlexiRide service, which provides public transport access to South Melton, Weir Views and Thornhill Park. Residents in Keilor and Niddrie have been benefiting from better bus services since the network changes in July 2020, and routes were also extended for the two-way service through Keilor East. These service improvements are another example of Victoria’s Bus Plan and how it is delivering additional routes and services and making travelling by bus easier and more convenient for people in Melbourne’s west.

In terms of our investment, we have got a proven track record of investing in bus services. Our government has invested more than $550 million since coming to government. We have got another round of the Growth Areas Infrastructure Fund, which has been announced by the Minister for Planning, and that will improve services further. We are delivering services for Melton, Keilor and Tarneit communities, just like we have invested to ensure Wyndham Vale, Laverton and Werribee residents can get where they need to go.

Importantly, we have also done a lot of work on making sure that we are transitioning our fleet to zero emissions. We have already got 50 zero emissions buses out in Melbourne’s west, and from mid-2025 new buses ordered for the public fleet will be required to be zero emissions. I want to reassure those members of the community who have been campaigning around this issue that we know that there is more work to do, but we are up for that job, and government MPs look forward very much to continuing to work with the community and with Minister Williams in the other place to make sure that our bus network grows from strength to strength in Melbourne’s west.

Trung LUU (Western Metropolitan) (18:02): I rise today to contribute to this petition, ‘Bus network reform for western suburbs’. Before I go into why we have this petition, we need to look at why we are asking for buses. Why are we not asking for trains, monorails or fast rail? It is because the west has been neglected by the Allan Labor government year after year, with promise broken after promise after promise. I do not just say that. I will give you an example. We have advocated for rail to the western suburbs to expand, but the Wyndham Vale line – cancelled; electrification of the Melton rail line – cancelled. The bus is the cheapest form we can seek to assist with the expansion and delivery of services for the western suburbs.

The west desperately needs services that cater for people who rely on buses as a mode of transport. The service needs to be cost-effective and efficient. In the past 12 years Melbourne’s western suburbs have experienced some of the fastest Australian growth rates that we have seen, yet in the west there is lack of connectivity. For this rapidly growing population there are only two modes of transport – that is, buses and trains. The tram line only goes up to Moonee Ponds, 12 k’s from the city, so we are catering for the fastest-growing corridor in Victoria yet we have two modes of transport, train and bus.

I will give you the train lines. In the west we have got two lines, the Werribee line and the Sunbury line. Compare that to the eastern suburbs. What have we got here? We have got the Sandringham line, the Frankston line, the Pakenham line, the Bairnsdale line, the Glen Waverley line, the Alamein line, the Belgrave line, the Lilydale line, the Hurstbridge line and the Mernda line. What are we doing for the western suburbs? We have to ask for the cheapest and most reliable form we can deliver for the western suburbs – that is, bus. That is why we turn to buses. Hopefully with all the debt the Labor government is having at the moment, they can at least cater for bus services in the western suburbs. Rail is fantastic if you have it. In the west we do not. We have two lines. The cancellation of the electrification of the Melton and Wyndham lines has eliminated the west’s rail capacity to accommodate growing needs.

Then there is our bus network. Let me talk to you about the bus network; I have got 2 minutes to talk about this. The local bus service network in the west is both infrequent and indirect. Standard local route weekday frequency is about 40 minutes. Currently in the west, bus services are being spread very thin and many are operating at an extremely low frequency and with limited coverage. The complexity and broken character of the old bus system makes it obvious that it is not catering. The bus network has been identified to have minimal service for us all. The routes do not cover the new western metro region to deliver for an expanding population with new streets, new estates and expanding suburbs. Data from research reported by Melbourne University shows us the average travel time for people living in the western suburbs. For Brimbank it is 60 minutes. In Melton it is 71 minutes. You have got to plan your time. If you have got an appointment somewhere to see a doctor, to see a colleague, you have got to plan your time. Seventy-one minutes – that is your travel time if you want to use a bus. Think about that. What kind of service do we have catering for the western suburbs? The planning approvals of this government also do not consider a future plan for bus routes. At the moment they are approving streets that are too narrow for buses to deliver services.

With the last minute I just want to express that the need to improve bus services in the western suburbs is urgent. Melbourne’s growth demands in the west need investment in infrastructure and services for all Victorians, not just those in the inner city. It is time the government stopped making promises and started delivering actual results for people in the west: more buses, more accessible stations and better transport options for all Victorians, especially those living in the west, with a growing population and family expansion. We all live in Victoria. We have the same equality. We deserve the same first-class public transport service in the west as we do have in the east. This Allan Labor government needs to stop neglecting the west and provide a better bus service for people out in the western suburbs.

Katherine COPSEY (Southern Metropolitan) (18:07): I rise to speak in support on behalf of the Greens on this petition for debate, and I thank Mr Ettershank for bringing this this afternoon. Eighteen months ago I joined community members. Mr Luu was also there and addressed the rally, and Mr Ettershank was there as well. We were at a protest on the front steps of Parliament calling for better and in some cases any bus services for areas across the west and across Victoria. We met on those same steps again this afternoon with the same call. Victoria’s bus network needs to be reformed from the long, convoluted and infrequent routes that we currently have to frequent and effective routes. We know that the communities in the west are crying out for this reform. A number of communities across Victoria effectively live in public transport deserts, mainly in rural and regional areas and in outer metro areas, and the west is really afflicted by these deserts.

Victoria’s bus plan from 2021 states that a lot of our bus routes have evolved incrementally over the years, meaning that currently many do not have a clear purpose and do not serve a distinct travel need, and when they become overly complex, that does deter potential bus passengers. That complexity combined with low frequencies, poor reliability and long travel times means that Victorians who have the option of driving will tend to take that option instead of the bus, leading to more traffic congestion and more emissions. People without other transport options are stranded. Transport is the second-largest and fastest growing source of emissions in Victoria, so if the government is serious about meeting their own targets for net zero emissions by 2045, we need to take the action to decarbonise our transport network. We know that already 35 global cities will only buy zero-emission buses for their fleets from 2025, and Melbourne’s bus fleet should be among them. We know that the Victorian government had previously announced that all new public transport buses purchased from 2025 would be zero-emissions buses, although I was disappointed to see earlier this month the updated zero-emissions bus transition plan watered this commitment down by making allowances for a number of situations, including regional buses and school buses, leaving those using these services with substandard, old and polluting diesel fleets. But we need to be very clear that an electric bus operating on an old and inconvenient route with few passengers will not do as much as it could to reduce emissions. The biggest emission cuts will be made by people being able to leave the car and take a convenient and reliable bus instead, and to achieve that we need the government to get on with real route reform to deliver better buses. Meanwhile, people who do not or cannot drive are stuck with an inadequate system that prevents them from accessing jobs, education and health care and it creates social and economic isolation.

Bus reform for Victoria is not just a technical transport issue and it is not just a climate-friendly transport issue; it is a matter of equity. Communities across Victoria have suffered for too long with inequitable access to fundamental public transport services. I congratulate Friends of the Earth, the Better Buses crew and the petitioners for bringing this important matter to the chamber today. Let us get on with better buses for Victoria.

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (18:11): It is my pleasure to speak on Mr Ettershank’s petition. I want to thank all the people that signed the petition and Mr Ettershank for bringing it forward for the chamber to have a good debate on buses.

I agree with Mr Ettershank when he says that everyone loves a good bus route. I regularly take the good old 566 bus. I am fortunate to live outside of a bus station, and I take that bus to the train station to get into the city. But not everyone is that fortunate. I know we are talking a lot about the western suburbs, but I would say an equal first or a close second to the western suburbs in terms of bus neglect is the northern suburbs. I know Mr Ettershank and I have had a lot of conversations about buses, and particularly our electorates and Mr Luu’s electorate share a lot of commonalities in the area of buses. You have got areas like Kalkallo, where residents have to walk a kilometre and a half to 2 kilometres to their closest bus route because when it was put together the estate was only about 100 metres deep and it has since gone to several kilometres deep, and in particular the areas that I represent around the airport.

Thousands of people work at the airport. If you live in Greenvale, it is about a 15- to-20 minute drive to the airport, but to get there by public transport requires you to get not one, but two buses, which will take you over an hour. If you are a young person who has a part-time job at the airport and wants to get to the airport, you have to take an Uber. You would think that the most efficient way to solve that would be a regular bus. We know that buses are both the most reliable and the cheapest. Infrastructure Victoria has written a lot on it. They are actually value for money because for a good reliable bus, for every dollar invested there is about $2.45 return.

We have also got growing areas, and I want to talk about, the Hidden Valley estate in my electorate. It has got 2500 residents but still no bus service – no bus service at all. I have talked directly to the minister about this. They are supposedly investigating. You have got a massive retirement living village going up. You have got lots of elderly communities but lots of growing communities as well, but you have still got no buses in Hidden Valley. It is an absolute disgrace that there is no public transport. But this is what we get when we have local members of Parliament who do not listen to their communities and do not raise things for those communities in particular.

I also wait with bated breath for the arrival of the new GAIC funding round that the minister mentioned that is supposedly going to go towards new bus services. I do want to note that we have got $150 million coming from the Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution Fund. It has been in there for a while. It was long overdue, and it is welcome. I can suggest that it may be put towards buses for Greenvale, and I will be putting that submission to the minister, but also buses for Wallan, in particular for Hidden Valley. Many have contacted me about that. I also note that there is $150 million going towards buses towards the end of the year; it will be announced next year. There is $309 million of unallocated GAIC funds – unallocated growth infrastructure funds – funds that developers have put in the kitty in the state Treasury for the government to get on and spend on buses and community infrastructure and duplication of roads and roundabouts and bus stations and train stations and things like that. But they are leaving more than half of that in the Treasury coffers. There is $309 million in there at the moment, so you will have $159 million that for the next state budget will not be spent. It will be propping up the state budget, which is in a terrible position, and making it look $159 million better off when it could be going to more bus routes. It could be going to things like duplicating Donnybrook Road now that the Hume, I saw this week, has been reduced to 80 kilometres an hour around Donnybrook Road because the government has not duplicated it. That impacts on buses as well. Many people in Kalkallo and Mickleham, for example, have told me about their buses being delayed because of traffic congestion as well, so it is all interlinked. The government needs to do much better on buses.

David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan) (18:16): I would like to thank all of the speakers in this debate. This is a campaign that has been fought out in the west for a long, long time, and I do take on board the comment that this is a problem that afflicts a far larger population than simply the western suburbs. I think it is in all of our growth corridors. There is clearly a huge, huge problem. I am encouraged by Minister Stitt’s comments, and I think we all look forward to seeing the government put its best foot forward to make some real, serious investments in the west. I know that for residents at places like Mount Atkinson the nearest bus stop is a 40-minute walk along a road that carries 40,000 cars a day but lacks a footpath, and that is a 40-minute walk simply to get to the bus stop, where you get to wait another 40 minutes for a bus if you are lucky – if it turns up. That can then theoretically get you to either Rockbank station or Caroline Springs, where you can hopefully access a train. But of course there is no synchronisation between those buses and those train services, so there is enormous potential for improvement. This is a potential for improvement that will tangibly improve the lives of residents in the western suburbs. It will affect their ability to deal with the cost-of-living pressures that they are currently experiencing. It will fight social isolation. It has so many benefits, and at the end of the day it is an incredibly small investment.

Motion agreed to.