2015-10-22
Mr BARBER (Northern Metropolitan) — President, if like me you are passionate about the development of regional rail in Victoria, you would have been excited to hear about an event that is occurring where a group is 'advocating for increased weekday service to Melbourne as well as an increase in weekend services to support local tourism and businesses'. The group seems to have secured the support or at least the presence of the Minister for Regional Development, our own Ms Pulford, this coming Saturday at the Maryborough IGA for a free barbecue and the opportunity to support increased rail services along the Maryborough line.
What is this community group that has stuck its head up and is advocating for extra regional rail services? In fact it is the Ripon branch of the ALP. Apparently it is calling on the community to lobby the Minister for Regional Development to lobby the Minister for Public Transport to run some more trains. If you are from south-west Victoria, you are still waiting. There has been a genuine, not astroturf, campaign running for a long time down in the south-west, but so far it has been offered not only not a meeting with the minister or a barbecue but not a sausage.
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