Hampton rail crossing campaigner takes fight for release of State Government documents to VCAT
A deadly Hampton rail pedestrian crossing will close so the State Government can plan safety improvements, despite having almost 400 documents on what upgrades are needed. Now, a lead campaigner is going to VCAT to have those documents released.
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The State Government will close a popular pedestrian rail crossing from next month to plan safety improvements for the site, despite already holding almost 400 documents on what upgrades are needed.
PTV chief executive Jeroen Weimar, in an interview on ABC radio, said the deadly crossing site would be upgraded by the end of next year.
But the Leader can reveal the government is sitting on 390 documents – including reports, designs and budgets – relating to safety issues and upgrades needed at the site.
And the PTV, in a letter seen by the Leader, confirmed they had “completed the design phase” for the crossing.
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Head campaigner Stuart Worn requested the documents under Freedom of Information but – almost six months later – the government hasn’t released them.
Mr Worn has now lodged an application with VCAT to compel the authorities to hand the files over.
He said the Office of the Victorian Information told him there were 390 documents.
“But the government say they need to close the crossing to investigate how to make it safer,” Mr Worn said.
Mr Worn said the crossing’s closure – announced as dozens of people rallied for safety improvements on October 19 – was about the government “looking to buy some cover from the public criticism” they’d received since the death of 83-year-old Gloria Holmes earlier this year.
“They said they were going to upgrade the site, didn’t, and then we had this tragic fatality there,” he said.
“This is a knee-jerk reaction by a government that has blood on its hands.”
Public Transport Minister Melissa Horne, Public Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allen and PTV have repeatedly dodged the Leader’s questions about the issue.
Mr Worn said calls, letters and emails from several Hampton residents had also gone unreturned by the authorities.
Premier Daniel Andrews recently told the media the government had listened to the community and “won’t hesitate to act to make that site safer”.
But Mr Worn said he feared these were more “empty promises”.
“Based on their past performance, we don’t trust the government to honour any commitments,” he said.
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“No-one is giving us any confidence they won’t just close the crossing for good and this is a critical pedestrian link for community.
“(The authorities are) treating the residents of Hampton with contempt but we’re not going to go away on this issue.”
A Department of Transport spokesperson said a preliminary design had previously been completed for the site but “we will now complete the detailed site assessments, design and drawings”.
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