All aboard the state opposition's latest move to have Warrnambool train services improved.
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Leader Matthew Guy and South West Coast MP Denis Napthine on Thursday launched an online petition calling for the State Government to add more services and other upgrades.
Yes, it’s a political stunt but frankly, anything that highlights the inequity in services and rolling stock between the Warrnambool line and other regional centres is worthwhile.
South-west commuters for years have had a raw deal. We have had to accept three services a day either way on decades-old rolling stock at far from ideal times.
The latest changes to the timetable have reportedly drawn mixed responses.
And still the tedious bus services on weekends remain.
The problem for commuters in the region is political. The Labor state government is unlikely to add extra services any time soon.
Instead, it has set up an advisory group to assess regional transport needs.
That is fine but the reality is even if Labor committed to more services, it would be unlikely to win the safe Liberal seats of South West Coast and Polwarth.
The government has little to gain at the ballot box from such a move and any criticism heading its way can easily be deflected with the argument Dr Napthine and his previous government did not act either.
But Dr Napthine and Mr Guy reject that type of thinking, saying their government invested in infrastructure, clearing the way for improvements.
The only problem was they ran out of time before ousted from power.
Trains have long been a political hot potato in the region. The Kennett Coalition government in the 1990s considered cutting the service altogether.
Those old enough, will remember a raucous public rally at the Warrnambool station that eventually led to the service being retained, albeit run by private operators.
History shows that patronage increased after the uproar. With Warrnambool’s population growing and ageing, it’s easy to see why the service is so popular.
It’s all well and good to talk about record patronage but even with the stronger numbers, governments of either political persuasion have been reluctant to open their wallets.
Mr Guy and Dr Napthine are right to call for changes but it’s hard to see anything changing until both sides of politics are on the same track.
How do we make that happen?
It would be great if Daniel Andrews suddenly woke up one morning and said ‘let’s get the south-west moving’.
But until that day arrives, we have to continue building the case piece by piece and the 'don't leave the south-west behind’ campaign is part of that.
Only an optimist would argue our day will come. But when?