Zoe Daniel (Goldstein, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Suburban Rail Loop is a project of significance and concern to the Goldstein community. The aim is to upgrade public transport and provide new housing as Melbourne grows. What worries me and my constituents is that we may end up with the housing and maybe the transport but not the services to go with them, especially with Victoria's dire budget. According to current plans, the SRL will transform Goldstein, adding 30,000 to 40,000 residents to Bayside. For perspective, Wangaratta, with a population of about 30,000, offers services, hospitals, medical clinics, childcare centres and schools. Goldstein will need that too. Will we get them? Public transport is a public good. With more Victorians using it for home, school and leisure, our infrastructure should keep up. But we must fully and properly consider what that means for this community and for new residents who must be supported by suitable amenities, as well as by promised infrastructure. I agree with Bayside Council that the SRL must deliver what residents need, not what governments want, protect community amenities and ensure easy transit within and beyond the community. I've spoken to state and federal ministers, raising these and other questions. So far from the federal government, in effect—crickets. We have yet to receive satisfactory answers.