19th of March 2025, 12:18am
Parliament of Victoria | Legislative Council
David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan):
My adjournment is directed to the Minister for Public and Active Transport in the other place. With the federal election fast approaching, politicians have realised that the outer west of Melbourne is one of the country’s fastest growing regions and that its residents are not happy and are eligible to vote. I read recently with great excitement of the $1.1 billion funding announcement to finish an upgrade to the Western Highway between Melton and Caroline Springs, apparently now a key priority for Labor.
The federal minister for infrastructure advises that the number of vehicles on that highway will grow to nearly double – that is, 200,000 vehicles per day, hence the upgrade. Huzza, huzza! This is great news – great to see the outer west getting some much-needed attention and great to see that investment in our roads. We need more road infrastructure. Western suburbs residents own on average just under two cars per household because so many live in one of the all-too-prevalent public transport deserts you will find across the region.
The problem is that roads do tend to beget more traffic. Building more roads is guaranteed not to reduce the amount of traffic on our roads. Without sounding ungrateful, I cannot think of a single motorist in the west who is excited by the prospect of 100,000 more motorists being added to the roads they use within five years. On top of that, roads take a long time to build, so any relief is years away. People of the west need transport relief now, not in a decade’s time. So, what about buses?
We already have the buses; they are just not being used effectively, with long wait times, unreliable services and tortuous routes that can take hours to get you anywhere. However, we know that a reconfigured bus network would provide public transport to thousands more residents and reduce those wait times to around 10 minutes. Not only would it provide a means to get to work, to school, to shops and to medical appointments, it would also provide tangible cost-of-living relief for households forced to rely on public transport and take some 40,000 cars off the road every day.
CDC manage most of the bus routes in the west. When we raised the possibility of CDC reconfiguring its routes, we were told by the previous public transport minister that it was not possible to even consider upgrading the bus network until CDC contracts had been finalised. Think about that for a moment. Now that those contracts have been bedded down, I ask the minister to provide an update on what is being done to improve bus services and when we will see a comprehensive west and north-west bus reform package.
Written Answer
Received: 29 July 2025
Hon. Gabrielle Williams MP
(Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Minister for Public and Active Transport)
I thank the Member for Western Metropolitan Region for his question.
The Allan Labor Government recognises the important role buses play in meeting the travel needs of people living in Melbourne’s growing outer suburbs. Buses are a vital part of Victoria’s integrated transport system, with around 400 regular bus routes servicing metropolitan Melbourne, and local bus networks operating in regional towns and cities.
In the 2025/26 State Budget, the Allan Labor Government has allocated $162 million for better bus and ferry services. This includes delivering bus improvements across the West, including:
- a package of new and extended bus routes connecting passengers in growth areas to train stations, including Riverwalk, King’s Leigh, Mt Atkinson, Cobblebank, Thornhill Park, Rockbank, Aintree and Deanside,
- new and upgraded bus services in Tarneit to provide access to the new West Tarneit Station,
- bus service uplifts to improve access to the Wyndham Law Courts precinct,
- upgraded services to improve access to Caroline Springs town centre and Watergardens Station,
- new bus route for Cairnlea, and
- service uplifts this year to popular routes in Wyndham and Tarneit.
Since launching Victoria’s Bus Plan in June 2021, more than 110 local bus networks have been redesigned or strengthened, giving Victorian communities access to almost 6,000 more services each week.
Several new services are supported by Growth Area Infrastructure Contribution (GAIC) funding. Last year, the Allan Labor Government announced a package of $180 million of GAIC and State Budget funding for new or improved bus services, with these currently being delivered in Casey, Cardinia, Hume and Wyndham. In the west, new bus routes will be delivered linking Harpley Estate and Cornerstone Estate communities to Wyndham Vale Station, and Tarneit North residents to Tarneit and Laverton stations running through the employment area in Laverton North.
Work to plan and deliver additional new bus services is well underway. More details will become available closer to implementation and will be communicated with the public.
We are continuing to improve the state’s bus network in line with Victoria’s Bus Plan to better meet demand, improve accessibility, performance, and deliver value for money.
On 24 March 2024, Route 475 Sunbury Station – Diggers Rest Station was introduced improving the local bus network and connecting new estates to shops, schools, train stations and the broader transport network. The new service operates between the two popular stations seven days a week with a 20-minute frequency throughout most of the daytime on weekdays, and a 40-minute frequency in the evenings and on weekends. It addressed coverage gaps on Elizabeth Drive in Sunbury.
On 8 December 2024, Route 452 Eynesbury – Melton Station was introduced providing residents with a new seven-day-a week service in these growing suburbs a direct public transport connection to Melton station for the first time, giving easier access to trains, other local bus services and key local destinations like Opalia Plaza Shopping Centre.
Once again, I thank the Member for his question.
[ENDS]
