At a time when governments need to be making public transport a more viable option for all Victorians, particularly regional Victorians, the Napthine government has failed on all fronts. Whether it is infrastructure, train carriages, bus services or ticketing, this government has well and truly dropped the ball when it comes to public transport.
Members opposite may be aware that over 60 per cent of passengers using the Geelong bus service network purchase short-term tickets when they use the service, but the response from this government has been to scrap short-term tickets. Members opposite may also be aware that in 2010 the Liberal Party promised a $25 million Grovedale train station by 2014, and yet two and a half years later nothing has been done. This failure should be seen against the backdrop of a $1.5 million commitment made in 2009 by the then Labor government to upgrade the North Shore train station in Geelong.
However, when the Baillieu government was elected it rescinded the money, stating that there were more pressing projects, like the Grovedale station, a project so pressing that nothing has been done for two and a half years.
At present every station along the Geelong line has an issue that the Napthine government is ignoring, whether it is car parking, disability access, lighting or lack of public amenities and facilities. People using bus services on the Bellarine Peninsula are now not able to purchase a short-term ticket and must travel to Geelong for their closest myki outlet. The Baillieu and Napthine governments promised to fix public transport in Geelong, but to date they have done absolutely nothing, and there is no sign of it happening.