The Metropolitan Transport Forum (MTF) and Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC), jointly representing 26 Melbourne Councils, have asked the Rudd Federal Government, to contribute to funding major urban public transport infrastructure projects. Both organisations also called on the Victorian Government to seek changes to Auslink to allow funding of public transport.

Cr Jackie Fristacky, MTF Deputy Chair and Cr Alex Makin, Acting Chairperson of the ETC, said there is broad agreement on the need for the Commonwealth to resume funding public transport, in the same manner as it does roads.

“The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) recently resolved that it will continue to campaign for ‘federal funding of urban transport systems’, a position supported by both the MTF and ETC.

“The new Rudd government has policy supporting Commonwealth funding; the Federal ALP platform states:

“…ensure that Australians have access to adequate transport services by providing appropriate financial assistance to State governments to improve and extend public transport systems in urban areas.”

“The Victorian Government advocated in 2006, for Auslink to include urban public transport.

“With a consensus that we need to take strong action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we are urging the new government to implement this policy and do what the last Federal ALP Government did, fund urban public transport.

“There are many projects in Victoria that require substantial capital investment and which would deliver large benefits in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, congestion and prohibitive costs of transport for struggling families.

“The Victorian Government could seek Commonwealth contribution to any one of a number of projects; examples being,

• Rail to Doncaster
• Rail to South Morang
• Rail to Rowville
• Rail to Torquay

“We look forward to the end of the blame game in public transport,” Cr Fristacky and Cr Makin concluded.

For more information or comment:

Cr. Alex Makin (ETC) Mobile: 0408 311 645
Cr Jackie M Fristacky (MTF) Mobile: 0412 597 794

The ETC welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback in regard to the State Government’s Transport Legislation Review.

The ETC represents one million residents in Eastern Melbourne through its seven member councils. Through this representation, the ETC includes a number of prominent activity centres, including the Ringwood, Dandenong and Box Hill Transit Cities which are pivotal to the success of Melbourne 2030 and enhancing Melbourne’s liveability.

The ETC supports the premise of developing overarching transport legislation with the aim of ensuring a clear and united vision for the future of Victoria’s transport system. It is clear however that physical integration of departments, such as VicRoads and the Public Transport Division of the Department of Infrastructure, is required to ensure a cohesive vision and level playing field between transport projects.

Currently VicRoads as a statutory authority, enjoys a number of benefits that are not available to either the Coordinator-Generals Office or the Public Transport Division. While the State Government has undertaken some steps in attempting to improve coordination between departments, a combined transport authority diminishes the conflict that inevitably exists.

In this regard, the proposed Transport Integration Act should be defined as a tier of objectives to assist in weighting each criteria. Such objectives need to be defined in the context of ensuring a sustainable and equitable transport system that delivers the efficient movement of people and goods.

These objectives need to be reinforced through policy goals that are codified within the legislation, not dissimilar to proposed legislation designed to reduce greenhouse emissions. In this regard, the policy objective of increasing public transport modal share to 20% by the year 2020 needs to be explicitly stated as a goal of the proposed legislation, with policy objectives being designed to meet this goal.

View the ETC’s submission to the Transport Legislation Review