Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of the Economics References Committee report: Future of Australia's automotive industry: driving jobs and investment. When we are talking about automotive industry, when we are talking about transportation, I am very pleased to tell the Senate today that the National's candidate for Indi, Marty Corboy, has brought to my attention the continuing problems with the north-east rail line in my home state of Victoria. He has been in Canberra today for a number of meetings over what has been a very important issue in the Indi electorate. That included a meeting with the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Darren Chester, on the possibility of insisting that any federal monies to the Andrews Labor government in Victoria for the Metro Rail Project be contingent on them guaranteeing improvements to the Albury to Melbourne rail service.

Mr Corboy has been a strong supporter of the Border Rail Action Group, known as BRAG, who are incensed at the neglect by the state government of Victoria over this vital piece of rail line. He has asked Minister Chester to include the rail line in any discussions or negotiations he has, as minister, with the Victorian Minister for Transport, Jacinta Allan. Mr Corboy said, 'The BRAG group requests three VLocity trains be made available to provide four services between Albury and Wodonga to Seymour'. He said, 'This would be a short-term solution to what is now a very old problem for people in that community'. Marty told me that he understands that within the highest levels of Bombardier, who are the manufacturers of VLocity trains, there is full support for standard gauge VLocity operation with V/Line, and there are absolutely no impediments to four-hour operational journeys and even longer.

It is time that the people of the north-east of the state had a proper and efficient rail service. I know that the Andrews Labor government are having huge problems with the V/Line services into and out of Melbourne from all areas of regional Victoria. They need to put more emphasis in providing a much better service to all Victorians using regional rail services, and I thank Marty Corboy for his diligence and hard work in bringing this issue to Canberra today.