THE Mallee needs to be better served by public transport.
The lack of passenger rail in Mildura is a huge contributor to our relative isolation.
Ever since it was ripped from us in 1993 no successive government has made any meaningful attempts to bring it back.
The State Government is already very clear about my views on passenger rail, but that’s not the only shortcoming in our region’s transport provision.
Our bus system needs fixing too.
Mildura’s bus network has not been reviewed in 20 years.
In that time the population of Mildura has changed, and so too has the layout of our town.
Conveniently enough, the 2022 State Budget contained money for bus reviews.
So I took it to the Minister for Public Transport in Question Time this week, to see if the Mallee will be receiving any of these funds.
His response was promising, saying he commits to working with myself and Mildura Rural City Council on fixing up our bus network.
It’s an important thing to do, as our buses connect people to the hospital precinct, Mildura Central, schools, the homemaker centre, and various ovals and sporting facilities from Merbein to Red Cliffs.
They don’t currently however connect students to our TAFE and University campuses, and that’s a glaring problem.
I referenced a family who has recently moved to a house near Sixteenth Street, only to find that they are unable to access a bus service within a 15-minute walk from their house.
Mildura South is a significant growth area for our region, and the lack of bus services there, and in many other parts of town is a significant barrier to work, education and community participation.
The Public Transport Minister said the purpose of the reviews is that they want everyone in towns serviced by bus networks to be no further than a 10-minute walk from a bus stop.
I look forward to working with the State Government to achieve this outcome.
