Community forum today March 14th drawing many political representatives including Victorian Greens leader Ms Samantha Ratnam
EVENT: Thursday 14th March 6pm - 8pm, 111 Overton Rd, Williams Landing
Community members from across Melbourne's West are gathering tomorrow Thursday 14th March at 6pm, alongside local and state government representatives to ask the question ‘Why is the West still waiting for Better Buses in 2024?’
The event, organised by the Sustainable Cities collective at Friends of the Earth, and the Point Cook Action Group, is expected to draw a large crowd, with a range of community speakers, as well as political representatives including Samantha Ratnam (Leader of Victorian Greens), Stephen McGhie (ALP member for Melton), Trung Luu (Liberal member for Western Metro), David Ettershank (Legalise Cannabis member for Western Metro) and Cr Peter Maynard from Wyndham City Council, representing Leadwest (Wyndham, Brimbank, Melton, Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong peak advocacy body).
Melbourne's Western suburbs have some of the fastest growing populations in the country.
The City of Wyndham has a population bigger than all of Geelong, or all of Wollongong. Yet this community has some of the worst Public Transport access in our City. Newer developments such as Mount Atkinson (Melton) and Mambourin Estate (Werribee) have no public transport at all.
In recent years the community voice in the West demanding Better Buses has become louder and louder, with community actions and forums and local councils calling on the Victorian Labor Government to act on their bus plan.
But over 1000 days since Victoria's Bus Plan was released - communities across the west are still waiting for a commitment to bus reform from the Victorian Labor government.
According to the bus plan, by the end of 2023 the government was supposed to have released a bus reform implementation plan, but this is still yet to be seen. There is also no indication that the state government plans to prioritise communities in Victoria that are most in need of bus reform - such as those in Melbourne’s West.
“With the delays to Melbourne Airport Rail, Cancellation of the Commonwealth Games, Two former Public Transport Ministers in the leading positions of state government, and a new Minister for Active and Public Transport, we are hopeful that 2024 will be the year that we finally see some funding for bus reform in the upcoming state budget” said Sustainable Cities spokesperson, Elyse Cunningham
“Labor has been sitting on this plan for over 1000 days now. Now is the time for them to prove that they aren’t just ‘all talk, no action’” Cunningham said.
Visuals for video/photography:
Community gathered in a forum style with 4 x community speakers and speeches from state government representatives.
Spokespeople including students, shift workers, transport advocates, local MPs.
Contact details:
Elyse Cunningham - Sustianable Cities Coordinator
0421 559 343
elyse.cunningham@foe.org.au
