Hannah Hammoud
The release of the state budget included the Victorian government maintaining its commitment to improving the bus network, but many in the west believe that they’ve been stamped as low priority.
Leading up to the budget being handed down, community members from Melbourne’s western suburbs were joined by Friends of the Earth Melbourne’s Sustainable Cities collective at a rally held on Parliament’s steps to save the bus reform.
The 2023-24 financial year will include just $1.9 million in funding to deliver the statewide bus plan.
Better buses campaign co-ordinator Elyse Cunningham said while the budget included continued commitment to bus reform, it was disappointing to see a lack of prioritisation for the west.
“The amount of money that is up is nowhere near enough to achieve what it is that we are asking for. We want an overall route transformation,” Ms Cunningham said.
“ … This incremental reform isn’t going to make a difference, the issue with the bus network is that it is unreliable and people don’t trust it.
“We are going to continue organising with communities in the west to share peoples stories of their experience with the bus network and put pressure on the government to give the west the buses they deserve.”
Shannon Meilak has been living in Brimbank for most of her life and is a strong advocate of better buses for the west. She said that her nearest bus stop is two kilometres away.
“It’s really not good enough,” Ms Meilak said.
“We’ve been left high and dry which seems to be the theme of the west, we are forgotten about and we are always left underfunded.
“Everytime there are public transport reforms, Brimbank gets the short stick,” Ms Meilak said.
“ … We need good quality bus transportation, more direct routes and better access.”
At the last Brimbank council meeting on May 16, a notice of motion was raised for council to write to the Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll requesting the state government provide a bus service to the Sunshine North area, including Duke Street and the River Valley estate.
