Scroll down for the Minister’s response, or click here to discover more about how we’re working for Wendouree.

Original adjournment matter from Juliana Addison MP to Parliament –

My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Public and Active Transport, and the action that I seek is for the minister to come to my electorate of Wendouree to discuss how we can reform bus services across Ballarat with relevant stakeholders.

With only two train stations in Ballarat and historic trams around the lake, my community relies on our bus service for public transport. Whether it is travelling to or from school, work, appointments, shopping or leisure activities, for those without access to a car or unable to drive, bus travel is the most affordable option. Recently we have seen an uplift of weekend bus services across the community that I represent, but we know that the work of good government is never complete.

I recently attended a meeting with Down Syndrome Victoria in Alfredton where I heard from bus users and their families that the bus services currently offered did not meet the services they needed and that they relied on more expensive taxis as a result.

I also attended the City of Ballarat Speak Up! youth ambassador event where secondary students and young people pitched for a better bus service for Ballarat. They raised issues of accessibility and safety as well as social justice and combating climate change. The pitch also identified the importance of connection to address isolation and loneliness. Thank you to Corey, Amaya, Ruby, Saskia, Asha, Christiana, Mahima, Lisanth, Rakhav, Om, Hosendu and Elijah for your leadership and advocacy.

I have also heard from the growing Winter Valley community about their need for bus services, as well as parents and school students without a local bus service to get their children to and from school.

Bus services are an important issue for my community, and I look forward to welcoming the minister to Ballarat to discuss my community’s concerns.

Response from the Hon. Gabrielle Williams MP, Minister for Public and Active Transport (29 July 2025) –

I thank the Member for Wendouree for her question. I understand your concerns about improving bus services in Ballarat.

The Allan Labor Government recognises the important role bus services play in providing safe public transport connections to important services such as education, healthcare, shopping, and employment, particularly for young people, individuals with a disability or without access to a private vehicle.

The 2025-26 State Budget has committed $162 million to deliver new and improved bus services, with a focus on connecting communities in Victoria’s growing suburbs to train stations, schools, health services and jobs. As part of this package, funding was allocated to undertake localised development work across regional Victoria to deliver bus network plans for high-priority regional areas, including for the bus network of Ballarat.

The network review in Ballarat will ensure any new bus network plans produced by the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) will be underpinned by a strong understanding of travel demand and community feedback, enabling value-for-money bus network reform. The review will identify gaps and opportunities across the bus network, enabling the state to proactively respond to emerging priorities across the region and leverage flagship government policies and investment, such as Victoria’s Housing Statement, free public transport for Victorians under 18, and additional weekend services now running on the Ballarat line.

All the priority regional network reviews will involve in-person and online community consultation – this will include hearing from organisations such as Down Syndrome Victoria, Ballarat City Council, and youth ambassadors, on how they travel around the Ballarat and how a bus network can best meet their needs.

The Department of Transport and Planning are currently working through the staging and sequencing of the announced reviews. I will have more to say about when we will be consulting with your community at a later date.

I hope this information is of use, and once again I thank the Member for her advocacy for better buses across her community.

Watch and read more of my speeches to Parliament here, including responses from ministers on how we’re working for Wendouree.