Ms THEOPHANOUS (Northcote): My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Public Transport, and the action that I seek is for the minister to investigate the state of the land near the Fairfield train station with a view to having it revitalised for the local community.
The electorate of Northcote is blessed with two rail lines going through it, the Mernda and Hurstbridge lines. These lines service thousands of my constituents each day. I know that some of my fellow members would love to have one rail line servicing their community—let alone having two lines—so I am aware that we are very fortunate.
I cannot miss the opportunity to point out how much the Andrews Labor government’s Suburban Rail Loop will completely change the way we move around Greater Melbourne—a project that only a Labor government could or would deliver.
However, the challenge with having rail lines is that the easements they run through can become magnets for people who do not take the same pride in their community that most of my constituents do, and I speak of littering and tagging.
I am lucky enough to have many locals who volunteer their time as stationeers to tend to our rail corridors, keeping them tidy and clean and in some cases growing gardens. I want to say thank you to all the stationeer groups for the work that you do, and I was particularly happy to help the Apple Tree Garden Northcote stationeers gain recognition recently under the Keep Victoria Beautiful Stationeers program.
The easement that is adjacent to the western perimeter of Fairfield station is in need of attention. The land abuts the rear of the properties that are between Rathmines Street and Cain Avenue, and locals use it to walk through to the station. I understand that the land has been used by Metro Trains Melbourne for storage; however, there is now a build-up of rubbish that has become very unpleasant for locals. There is a community group who do planting along the bush reserve near this location. The group is keen to see the rubbish removed so that they can plant out the area to make it more accessible and appealing as a walk-through for residents. It would be wonderful to see this small area cleaned up, revitalised and beautified for our community, and I thank you for your efforts towards this.
