After reviewing this, I am left to wonder if I have any faith in local representation left at all:
Quote:A TRADERS’ boss has welcomed the news that Clayton’s notorious level crossings will be removed, regardless of which party wins the state election in November.
Premier Denis Napthine announced a multi-billion dollar public transport project today, which would include removal of the Clayton Rd and Centre Rd level crossings by 2019.
Clayton Traders Association president Frank Golotta, who has run a business beside the Clayton Rd crossing for 15 years, said he was thrilled.
“It will be good for productivity, it’ll be good for traders and it’ll be good for connecting the whole of Clayton,” Mr Golotta said.
“The benefits are just immeasurable.
“It’s long overdue and I really do hope it’s now cut-and-square on the agenda.”
Monash Mayor Geoff Lake welcomed the announcement but said a 2019 completion date for the works wasn’t fast enough.
“We note that the Government’s commitment is to deliver this project between 2015 and 2019,” Cr Lake said.
“Should they be re-elected, we urge them to prioritise this project as soon as possible as five more years of gridlock around the station is more than the people of Clayton can bear.”
Cr Lake said removing the Clayton Rd level crossing had been the council’s highest priority transport infrastructure project for years.
Dr Napthine said work would begin next year on the project, which would cost between $2 billion and $2.5 billion.
In November, Opposition Leader and Mulgrave state Labor MP Daniel Andrews promised to remove 50 level crossings, including in Clayton, as part of Victorian Labor’s Project 10,000.
Project 10,000 did not provide a timeline for removal of the Clayton crossings.
The Leader has long campaigned for removal of the Clayton Rd level crossing, and last year reported that the Clayton Rd crossing was among the five most dangerous crossings in Melbourne.
Transport Safety Victoria figures revealed there were four near misses recorded between cars and trains at the level crossing in the 2012-13 financial year.
Frustrated drivers — as well as emergency services transporting patients to Monash Hospital — are regularly stuck at the boom gates.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/east/premier-napthine-announces-plan-to-remov...For those that aren't aware, Monash Hospital is situated a mere 500 metres from the Clayton railway crossing. Monash Hospital was founded in 1987, which means that for the past 27 years, no local representative, nor Federal member, has THOUGHT that it might be a problem to have a boom gate which closes every 15 minutes situated so close to a public emergency hospital.
Since 1985, this seat in both the state and federal parliaments has been held by Labor.
It is simply despicable that for the PAST 3 decades almost, boom gates have been a recurring topic in Victorian state politics, and EACH TIME we get a "priority" list, only NO ONE thought to mention that perhaps this one was of priority because the last thing you want is a person in the back of an ambulance literally dying while waiting for a train.
This leaves me to feel that realistically what faith can I give my local representation to actually fight for local issues in parliament?
How do we solve this? Perhaps it's more than time to get rid of the two party system and start having more minority governments. Where people aren't going to be subjected to "whats good for the party" but rather what's good for the electorate? Where people can actually have negotiations, debates, and disagree with one another without feeling repercussions? While the imbecile Tony will tell us we need stability, and as such we need majority government, I think it's clear in my mind that this type of inaction for 27 years is prime reason NEVER to have majority government. NEVER give them complacency!
And perhaps also raise the idea that local mps should not have indefinite terms. Max 2-3 terms. Then move on. If you can't fix a boom gate in 2-3 terms, you're not worthy of being a local MP.
What are your thoughts? Any examples of how your local representation has just been a nothing done representation?
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Any faith in local representation? (Read 507 times)
