❓ A parliamentary question regarding the progress and impact of Metronet projects, answered with a focus on project updates and criticism of the opposition's past record on public transport.
AnsweredQoN 459Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
METRONET — PROJECTS
459. Mr M.J. FOLKARD to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
investment to strengthen and expand the Western Australian public transport
system.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how Metronet projects, including the Yanchep rail
extension and the Morley–Ellenbrook line, are transforming our
communities?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house whether she is aware of any other public transport
policies for people living in densely populated areas?
459. Mr M.J. FOLKARD to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
investment to strengthen and expand the Western Australian public transport
system.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how Metronet projects, including the Yanchep rail
extension and the Morley–Ellenbrook line, are transforming our
communities?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house whether she is aware of any other public transport
policies for people living in densely populated areas?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for the question. It has been a big month for Metronet during
the winter parliamentary recess. We have seen the community excited by the
progress of key projects throughout the suburbs. The only people who are not excited are members of the opposition—the
Nationals WA and the Liberal Party —who do not like delivering
world-class transport to the suburbs. They hate it! They get upset! Every time
we deliver a project, I see them on TV getting more and more upset about the
delivery of our projects. They are using advertisements to criticise Metronet.
Let us go through the progress of those projects. I will update the house on
community perceptions. The Yanchep rail line extension, members for Butler, Burns
Beach and Wanneroo, is 14.5 kilometres long and includes three new train
stations. We are already seeing a huge take-up of that rail line. More than 10 000
people came to the opening. People came up to me and said that they had been
waiting for this project since the time of the former Liberal–National
government. Of course, the previous government never thought it should have
built a rail line to Yanchep in the next 20 years. If it were up to members
opposite, it would have been post-2050 before there was a rail line to Yanchep.
I was surprised when I was watching TV and I saw the Leader of the Liberal
Party say, ''This project's a couple of years late.''
This is a Liberal Party that did not believe a rail line should be there until
after 2050.
On the Ellenbrook rail line, we saw
works finish at the new Ballajura train station. Again, the Leader of the
Liberal Party, who has more front than Myer's, stood there and said, ''The
Ellenbrook rail line is a couple of years behind what they said.'' This
is a Liberal Party that broke its promise year in, year out. I love it when the
Leader of the Liberal Party is on TV talking about Metronet because the whole
public is thinking, ''What did you do?'' That is what they are
thinking; people in the north east corridor think, ''What did you do?
You broke your promise year in, year out.'' I love it! I love it when
the Liberal Party spends money on Metronet advertisements, and I love it when
the Leader of the Liberal Party is on TV talking about it because it reminds
people that the former Liberal–National government broke its promise
time and again. Do members remember Frank Alban's 2008 flyer that
stated that the Liberal Party would deliver a rail line to Ellenbrook? The
opening of the Ellenbrook rail line will occur by the end of this year. I cannot
wait to see the Leader of the Liberal Party on TV criticising it because,
again, it will remind people that the Liberal Party was never going to deliver
it.
Member for Darling Range, the
Liberals did not think that the people of Byford needed a rail line until post-2050. That was their plan. Member for
Southern River, they did not think they needed a Canning Vale connection
until post-2050. They never planned to do it. If we look at what is happening
in the suburbs, we see that the Yanchep rail line is finishing and the
Ellenbrook rail line is in its last stages. We also have the signing of high-capacity signalling, which, as
members from all the southern and northern suburbs will know, means more trains per hour, allowing more
people to catch public transport. I know the Liberal Party does not
support it and, as I said, I love it because people come up to me and say, ''I
saw that Leader of the Liberal Party on TV criticising Metronet. They could not
deliver anything!'' That is what they say to me when I go to open these
stations.
Of
course, there is also the Greens. The Greens believe that the Ballajura train
station supports urban sprawl . I do not know where the Greens have been
living, but their idea is that Ballajura, which I think has existed for over 30
years, does not deserve a train station, that the people of Morley do not
deserve a train station and that the people of Ellenbrook do not deserve a train
station. The suburbs are there. They do not believe those suburbs exist, because
they never travel to see the outer suburbs, or the fact that we need to support
public transport not just in the inner city, but also across the suburbs.
Of
course, the affordability means more people are catching public transport.
People can go from Mandurah to
Yanchep and vice versa for less than $5 on a SmartRider. Can members name one
other place in Australia where people can do that? That is
affordability. As I said, I love it when the Liberal Party criticises the
Morley–Ellenbrook rail line because everyone is sitting there thinking,
''Hang on, they didn't deliver it. They broke their promise.'' I cannot wait to open the Morley–Ellenbrook
line and to see them again on TV ! Hopefully they pay for some more
advertising to remind people that the Liberal Party broke its promise to the
people of Morley, Noranda, Bayswater, Ballajura and Ellenbrook.
thank the member for the question. It has been a big month for Metronet during
the winter parliamentary recess. We have seen the community excited by the
progress of key projects throughout the suburbs. The only people who are not excited are members of the opposition—the
Nationals WA and the Liberal Party —who do not like delivering
world-class transport to the suburbs. They hate it! They get upset! Every time
we deliver a project, I see them on TV getting more and more upset about the
delivery of our projects. They are using advertisements to criticise Metronet.
Let us go through the progress of those projects. I will update the house on
community perceptions. The Yanchep rail line extension, members for Butler, Burns
Beach and Wanneroo, is 14.5 kilometres long and includes three new train
stations. We are already seeing a huge take-up of that rail line. More than 10 000
people came to the opening. People came up to me and said that they had been
waiting for this project since the time of the former Liberal–National
government. Of course, the previous government never thought it should have
built a rail line to Yanchep in the next 20 years. If it were up to members
opposite, it would have been post-2050 before there was a rail line to Yanchep.
I was surprised when I was watching TV and I saw the Leader of the Liberal
Party say, ''This project's a couple of years late.''
This is a Liberal Party that did not believe a rail line should be there until
after 2050.
On the Ellenbrook rail line, we saw
works finish at the new Ballajura train station. Again, the Leader of the
Liberal Party, who has more front than Myer's, stood there and said, ''The
Ellenbrook rail line is a couple of years behind what they said.'' This
is a Liberal Party that broke its promise year in, year out. I love it when the
Leader of the Liberal Party is on TV talking about Metronet because the whole
public is thinking, ''What did you do?'' That is what they are
thinking; people in the north east corridor think, ''What did you do?
You broke your promise year in, year out.'' I love it! I love it when
the Liberal Party spends money on Metronet advertisements, and I love it when
the Leader of the Liberal Party is on TV talking about it because it reminds
people that the former Liberal–National government broke its promise
time and again. Do members remember Frank Alban's 2008 flyer that
stated that the Liberal Party would deliver a rail line to Ellenbrook? The
opening of the Ellenbrook rail line will occur by the end of this year. I cannot
wait to see the Leader of the Liberal Party on TV criticising it because,
again, it will remind people that the Liberal Party was never going to deliver
it.
Member for Darling Range, the
Liberals did not think that the people of Byford needed a rail line until post-2050. That was their plan. Member for
Southern River, they did not think they needed a Canning Vale connection
until post-2050. They never planned to do it. If we look at what is happening
in the suburbs, we see that the Yanchep rail line is finishing and the
Ellenbrook rail line is in its last stages. We also have the signing of high-capacity signalling, which, as
members from all the southern and northern suburbs will know, means more trains per hour, allowing more
people to catch public transport. I know the Liberal Party does not
support it and, as I said, I love it because people come up to me and say, ''I
saw that Leader of the Liberal Party on TV criticising Metronet. They could not
deliver anything!'' That is what they say to me when I go to open these
stations.
Of
course, there is also the Greens. The Greens believe that the Ballajura train
station supports urban sprawl . I do not know where the Greens have been
living, but their idea is that Ballajura, which I think has existed for over 30
years, does not deserve a train station, that the people of Morley do not
deserve a train station and that the people of Ellenbrook do not deserve a train
station. The suburbs are there. They do not believe those suburbs exist, because
they never travel to see the outer suburbs, or the fact that we need to support
public transport not just in the inner city, but also across the suburbs.
Of
course, the affordability means more people are catching public transport.
People can go from Mandurah to
Yanchep and vice versa for less than $5 on a SmartRider. Can members name one
other place in Australia where people can do that? That is
affordability. As I said, I love it when the Liberal Party criticises the
Morley–Ellenbrook rail line because everyone is sitting there thinking,
''Hang on, they didn't deliver it. They broke their promise.'' I cannot wait to open the Morley–Ellenbrook
line and to see them again on TV ! Hopefully they pay for some more
advertising to remind people that the Liberal Party broke its promise to the
people of Morley, Noranda, Bayswater, Ballajura and Ellenbrook.
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