Ivanhoe Girls Members Statement – Rod Barton MLC

I am pleased to rise today to commend a group of talented young women from Ivanhoe Girls Grammar who presented their safe public transport bill to me last week. As part of our Youth Parliament program, the girls debated and passed a bill to implement new safety measures around public transport infrastructure and high-risk areas for women.

Mr BARTON (Eastern Metropolitan) (09:59): I am pleased to rise today to commend a group of talented young women from Ivanhoe Girls Grammar who presented their safe public transport bill to me last week. As part of our Youth Parliament program, the girls debated and passed a bill to implement new safety measures around public transport infrastructure and high-risk areas for women. They were very well informed and had some very sensible and considered proposals to make travelling safer for women. Many of their recommendations seem quite easy to implement and, while I understand their bill has been sent to the relevant ministers, I will also be writing on their behalf to ask that some of these measures be considered.

They asked for increased PSO presence on trains and trams, more female PSOs, updated and more security cameras, a text messaging service to alert PSOs or police for response at the next station, better lighting at stations and surrounding bus and tram stops, and women-only carriages. I think a trial of some of these measures would prove simple and provide great benefits for the travelling public, and I will be making those recommendations to the ministers.

My congratulations to Charlotte, Emily, Elizabeth, Isabel, Naia and Tara on an excellent piece of legislation. Our future is in good hands.