Tonight I will be reporting on the Eastern Transport Coalition meeting held on the 19th of October and the outcome of our ‘fair fares’ campaign.

The Eastern Transport Coalition’s campaign in seeking the abolition of zone three was obviously a success with both major parties; first the Victorian Liberal Party and then copied by the ALP to commit to the remove the inequitable existence of zone three fares.

This campaign and this wonderful outcome was only possible due to the support of the wider community. I am pleased to say that the survey results at Heatherdale undertaken by Maroondah City Council, received one of the highest level of responses.

I’ll table the analysis from the Eastern Transport Coalition but over 60% of people chose Heatherdale Station simple due to the cheaper zone two fare.

Securing the commitment from the State political parties to abolish zone three demonstrates the success that can occur when council’s work both together with other like-minded councils and with the community.

The successful outcome of this campaign was due to each and every person that responded to the Eastern Transport Coalition’s survey, the advocacy of Maroondah City Council and the strong partnership that has been established with the eastern council’s through the Eastern Transport Coalition.

This outcome demonstrates the strength and power of advocacy when councils work together with the community to ensure positive outcomes. I would like to thank everyone that completed the survey and did their bit to remove zone three.

To any sceptics out there, it is worth remembering that there was a time when people said zone three would never be removed. Proactive partnerships with the community, councils and the region ensured that zone three will soon be history.