The Maroondah community took the opportunity to quiz representatives from the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal Party and The Greens on their public transport credentials at a forum hosted by the Eastern Transport Coalition last night.

Maroondah Mayor Councillor Alex Makin said the event, held at the Karralyka Centre, was attended by candidates contesting the lower and upper house seats, which cover Maroondah.

“Whilst the ALP and Liberal representatives did not provide any new announcements, the Greens gave a commitment to support the full redevelopment of the Ringwood Railway Station. The Greens Candidate for Kilsyth, Justin-Paul Sammons told the forum that he saw an upgrade to Ringwood Station as a priority, which needed to be addressed in the term of the next state government,” Cr Makin said.

“Prior to the forum, Greens candidate for Warrandyte Chris Padgham also signed the petition calling on all major parties to commit to an upgrade of Ringwood Station,” Cr Makin said. “Shadow Transport Minister Terry Mulder and incumbent Warrandyte MP Ryan Smith have also signed the petition but have yet to deliver any commitment.”

“I am absolutely delighted The Greens have pledged their support to transform Ringwood Station into an accessible, safe and integrated public transport hub. I call on all political parties to match this announcement and commit to the future prosperity of Ringwood and Melbourne’s eastern region”, Cr. Makin concluded.

Other issues which were raised at the forum included the number of buses in operation and the frequency of all public transport in the eastern region.

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