HON MARTIN PRITCHARD (North Metropolitan) [11.30 am] — without notice: I move —
That the Legislative Council notes that, after many years of promises from the previous state government, the McGowan government has committed to providing a rail service to Ellenbrook.
Comments and speeches from various members
HON ALISON XAMON (North Metropolitan) [12.07 pm]: I rise because I want to say a few words as a member of a party that is a staunch supporter of public transport and as a former member of the East Metropolitan Region. The nature of Ellenbrook is that it is a classic example of a suburb that perhaps should have had more thought put into it when it was first created. We are now dealing with the need to retrospectively put in some of the most basic services for a growing part of the Perth metropolitan area.
From day one, Ellenbrook has been pretty much isolated from health services, employment services and a range of other things. I note from the outset that the low density of the development and its isolation combined to make it unfeasible for multiple governments to deliver those services. However, as has already been said, tens of thousands of people are living in the Ellenbrook area now and tens of thousands more are expected. It is growing to be a genuine secondary centre within Perth and that corridor between Ellenbrook and Morley is steadily filling with more low-density urban sprawl. Given the area also tends to be subject to mortgage stress, it is absolutely essential that those residents and the residents to come—young people in particular—have transport options to make sure they can access those education and employment opportunities that are not currently available locally.
More widely, we need to get more cars off our roads, as a carbon emissions reduction measure, because climate change is real. We are spending hundreds of millions of dollars every few years on making our roads wider, and then wider again, trying to deal with the issues of congestion, particularly as Perth continues to grow. Investing that money in public transport will ultimately bring manifold benefits to our communities, public health and climate, while also managing to address that congestion issue.
I remind members that Metronet, of which the Greens are very supportive, is strongly reminiscent of the top layer of the Greens’ transit city plan, which also looked at light rail and bus routes and frequencies. This was established before Metronet was created. The Greens’ work on this was principally driven by former Senator Scott Ludlam. It was a great plan, and I am not surprised that Metronet has such a strong resemblance to elements of it. Metronet could continue to go much further in ensuring that public transport is a viable option for all residents of Perth. Stranding the people of Ellenbrook in the middle of nowhere for the last 30 years has been an unfortunate example of quite myopic planning. It is beyond time that a genuine public transport option is made available, and Metronet is a great start. I look forward to the opportunities for creative and innovative infill that this will provide to the centres and the suburbs that it will ultimately pass through.
Comments and speeches from various members
Motion lapsed, pursuant to standing orders.