Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Earlier this month a constituent alerted me to the state of the car park at Beaconsfield train station. The station is in Pakenham, in the south of my electorate, and is run by Connex, a private train operator. When I had a look for myself I did not see much of a car park. Instead, I saw something that looked like an archipelago of water-filled potholes, some up to five or six inches deep. It is a disgrace and the people of Beaconsfield deserve better.

I wrote to Connex and was told that, under the terms of its contract with the Victorian state Labor government, it is only required to grade the car park once every four months. Connex was therefore satisfied that its maintenance program was ‘in compliance with its obligation’. Connex even had the audacity to suggest, without a hint of irony, that commuters from Beaconsfield should wear gumboots. Connex did not seem to realise that it also has an obligation to the hundreds of people from Beaconsfield who pay for and rely on its train services every day to get to and from work, school and medical treatment.

Clearly, re-grading the surface of the car park is needed more than once every four months; it is grossly inadequate. It should not have to take an injury to a commuter before action is taken. This situation shows that neither Connex nor the Bracks government gives a hoot for train commuters, pardon the pun. I say to Connex and the Bracks government: get your act together. This is not good enough. The people of Beaconsfield deserve better.