Doonside station campaign headed for state parliament
Funding for lifts at Doonside station will be discussed in state parliament after a long-running petition reached an important milestone this month.
Blacktown
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A major milestone has been reached in the decades-long campaign for lifts at Doonside station with a community petition hitting 10,000 signatures.
The issue of improving station access will now be debated in state parliament after Blacktown state Labor MP Stephen Bali presented the petition to the House.
The petition is set to be discussed in parliament in November and Mr Bali has urged residents to turn out in Macquarie St in support.
“I ask people to come to the NSW Parliament on November 14 at 4pm and hear the debate,” Mr Bali said.
“Large numbers turning up to parliament will put the pressure on the government to do the right thing and deliver lifts for Doonside station.”
The breakthrough is the first time a Blacktown-based petition has reached the significant 10,0000 signature mark and comes after three years of signature gathering.
A community-led campaign to have the station upgraded has put pressure on both Liberal and Labor state governments for more than 20 years, but to little success.
Community frustration escalated last year when Doonside was dropped from the State Government’s Transport Access Program, which prioritises station upgrades across the NSW train network.
In this year’s State Budget, the station missed out once again, despite almost 70 stations receiving a slice of $330 million in funding for upgrades.
In June, a Transport for NSW spokesperson said it would “continue to consider Doonside Station for an accessibility program as part of Transport Access Program”.
Mr Bali thanked residents for backing the petition.
“We now have the opportunity to raise the issue in NSW parliament and hear from the Government what they will do,” he said.
“No longer can they hide behind the mountain of correspondence of simply acknowledging the issue, but now the government will be directly held accountable for their inaction.
“My thanks to the many people who helped out including Martha Lynch, President of Doonside Seniors; Blacktown Council; and the Blacktown Advocate for their ongoing campaign.”
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