Tuesday, 8 September 2026

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (13:05): (2586) My question is to the Minister for Public Transport. Gippsland rail passengers have again been treated like second-class citizens. On the weekend the V/Line services were cut at 10 pm, before the end of the blockbuster AFL game. Passengers who missed the 11 pm service were forced to wait for an hour until midnight and then did not arrive home until 3 o’clock in the morning. After 12 years of disruptions, delays and cancellations, Gippslanders are rightly frustrated. Labor continues to make regional passengers pay for Melbourne’s infrastructure projects. The Nationals and Liberals have committed to an extra 1100 seats on Traralgon and Bairnsdale services through additional VLocity train sets and longer peak period trains – more seats, better services. Will the minister finally acknowledge that Labor’s failure to properly manage Melbourne’s infrastructure program has unfairly burdened Gippsland passengers and accept it is time for a fresh start?