1 - 011B, 670 Chapel St South Yarra VIC. 3141

Advocating for a more sensible approach to local level crossing removals

My colleagues, the Leader of the Opposition and Member for Malvern, Michael O’Brien, and my fellow Member for Southern Metropolitan Region in the Upper House, Georgie Crozier, and I have been and continue to advocate strongly on behalf of the community for a better, more logical, efficient and acceptable outcome than the sky rail over Toorak Road that is all Labor has to offer.

The Andrews Government have ignored the wishes of the local community to have the rail line go under the road; they have ignored the desirability of removing neighbouring level crossings simultaneously going rail under road; they have turned down the offer of $250 million from the Commonwealth Government to simultaneously underground the Glenferrie Road, Kooyong level train, tram and road crossing; they continue to ignore the resolution of the Legislative Council to table relevant documents; in short, they are simply not listening.

On Tuesday 13 August I raised yet again in the Parliament the refusal of the Andrews Labor Government to listen to the local community about their strong preference for a rail under road solution to the Toorak Road, Kooyong level crossing removal.

On this occasion I sought to draw attention to the illogicality and deceit of the Andrews Government advertising on 30 July for community members of the Toorak Road, Kooyong Construction Liaison Group – after the contract for the hated Skyrail had already been let on 12 June, construction commenced and hundreds of trees clear felled – sham consultation, pure and simple.

See my full contributions here.