Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to give a big shout out to the over 35 people who turned up on Sunday to help clean up Huntingdale train station. But while I do so I actually want to condemn the state government because it took volunteers in the community to clean up this dreadful mess. I think so many people turned up because they are over the situation of the no-man's-land on this government owned piece of land. This is a bit of land owned by VicRoads that is being leased to Metro Trains which is then in turn sublet to VicTrack. It is a bit of unconcreted gravel in my electorate that is used as a dumping ground and car park. But it is a hazard, it is a disaster, it is a danger and something needs to be done.

I do want to apologise to the drivers who turned up on Monday morning and could not park because of the enormous pile of rubbish that was gathered there. Council turned up on Sunday evening, but we had collected so much rubbish there that they actually could not remove it. This is a ridiculous situation. It has now been going on for my 15 years in parliament. It costs $150,000 to $200,000 to pave this bit of road, this bit of land that is not used by anybody but commuters for parking. It is so vitally needed in my electorate it is not funny. Could we all just get our heads together? Could someone just fess up and say it needs to be done, bite the bullet and make it happen so we do not have to use Clean Up Australia Day to clean up the state government's mess?

See this speech in context