Book 8 - Parliament of Victoria

ADJOURNMENT
1592 COUNCIL Tuesday, 31 May 2011
scheme of regulation, because these websites are in fact
standing in the shoes of retailers.
The retail area of electricity is competitive in that there
is a lot of churn. I do not believe there is much
competition there, given the difficulty of actually
understanding what most of these different offers can
do for the consumer. Before we find that we are getting
the same problem, albeit removed back to the level of
an anonymous website, I think some timely action to
set some standards in this area would be useful.
Rail: Shepparton service
Ms DARVENIZA (Northern Victoria) — I wish to
raise a matter for the attention of Terry Mulder, the
Minister for Public Transport. It concerns the need for
an improved rail service for Shepparton.
Shepparton is a regional hub, but it has an inferior rail
service compared to other regional centres. Shepparton
is the fifth highest populated Victorian city behind
Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo, which are
all connected by fast and regular rail services. Three
trains run from Shepparton to Melbourne per weekday
compared to 24 services between Melbourne and
Ballarat and 18 services a day from Melbourne to both
Bendigo and Traralgon. When there is a service it takes
2 hours and 33 minutes, compared with express
services between Bendigo and Melbourne, which take
1 hour and 34 minutes. Shepparton trains travel at a
maximum of 90 to 110 kilometres per hour, while
V/Locity services can reach up to 160 kilometres per
hour.
It will be important to make key infrastructure changes
and not just introduce an increased Sprinter service to
Seymour. With the increased Sprinter service it is
expected that the journey would still take over 2 hours
from Shepparton to Melbourne. A journey that is more
than double the distance between these cities, that of
Paris to London on the Eurostar rail service, takes just
2 hours and 15 minutes.
Shepparton RAILS (Residents Against Inadequate
Locomotive Services), a local rail transport
improvement activist group, wants a minimum of
12 daily return services. The group surveyed more than
1200 people and found a huge demand for an increase
in train services. Increasing services would increase the
number of people who could visit the region. It would
increase the commuter potential of the Goulburn Valley
and give local businesses greater market opportunities.
As a result we would see fewer cars and less freight on
our roads and we would reduce carbon emissions.
The specific action I seek from the minister is that he
commits to visiting Shepparton to hear what people
actually want and commits to improving the Goulburn
Valley train services.
Responses
Hon. D. M. DAVIS (Minister for Health) — I have
seven written responses from the government to
adjournment matters raised by Mr Pakula on 6 April,
Mrs Coote on 3 May, Mr O’Donohue on 4 May,
Ms Mikakos on 5 May, Mr Drum on 5 May,
Ms Pennicuik on 5 May and Ms Darveniza on 25 May.
There were nine adjournment matters tonight.
Ms Tierney raised a matter for Mr Mulder, the Minister
for Public Transport, concerning Geelong train stations,
the lack of facilities at the North Shore station in
Geelong and the Overland rail service that stops there
and the meet-and-greet groups that are involved. I will
pass that on to the minister.
Mr Finn raised another matter for Mr Mulder which
concerned Point Cook and growth. He pointed out that
a large number of families are moving to that area and
indicated that it is a great place to live. Nearby
Sanctuary Lakes is also experiencing similar sorts of
growth. He pointed particularly to Point Cook Road,
which apparently has unfavourable characteristics in
terms of its capacity to carry vehicles. He seeks a traffic
management plan, perhaps in conjunction with the City
of Wyndham. That seems to make some sense, and I
will certainly pass that on to the Minister for Public
Transport.
Mr Lenders raised a matter for Mr Walsh, the Minister
for Agriculture and Food Security, concerning
Australian Paper certification. He points to
manufacturing difficulties and the strength of the dollar.
I note that in the chamber today Mr Dalla-Riva pointed
out that this is a matter faced by many manufacturing
groups. Mr Lenders pointed to the potential loss of
environmental certification and Forest Stewardship
Council accreditation. He asked that the minister
consult with Australian Paper and seek to take some
action before the 26 July expiry date. Having been a
shadow environment minister for this area, I am
familiar with this scheme and I understand its
importance. I am not sure whether this matter would be
the responsibility of the Minister for Agriculture and
Food Security or the Minister for Environment and
Climate Change. Notwithstanding that, I will pass it to
the relevant minister, whoever that may be.
Mrs Coote raised a matter for me as Minister for Health
concerning palliative care, pointing to the special