On the back of Graincorp reporting more than 135,000 tonnes at its Dookie site from the winter crop harvest, Ms Maxwell said restoring the rail line — which closed in 2007 — would bring benefits to the small town and Shepparton.
Ms Maxwell said the grain was transported to and from Dookie by trucks, which caused congestion on local roads.
“For my part, I would also point out that rail line upgrades in regional and rural Victoria generally deliver many other benefits too, including lowering the numbers of truck trips on our roads, thereby reducing road congestion and trauma, and maintenance requirements, as well as significantly reducing carbon emissions,” Ms Maxwell said in parliament recently.
“Set against this background, the action I seek is clarification of the government’s current position on the Dookie rail line’s restoration.
“I request this clarification in view of the significant potential benefits that its restoration could deliver to many people and organisations, not only in the agricultural sector and not only in and around Shepparton and Dookie but also across Victoria more widely.”
Ms Maxwell said the issue was raised in parliament by Member for Shepparton Suzanna Sheed in 2015, but since then nothing had been done.
“That question was met with the response that the government was liaising with GrainCorp on the possibility of reopening the line as part of a broader statewide process of considering rail upgrades,” Ms Maxwell said.
“However, the line ultimately wasn’t reopened, and publicly there has been barely any statement by someone in authority about the matter since.
“That lack of progress in 2015 was obviously disappointing, especially amid calls for action at the time from the likes of GrainCorp, the Dookie rail group and the Rail Freight Alliance.”
5°C