My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Transport Infrastructure as the minister I believe is responsible for VicTrack, and the action I seek is for the minister to work with VicTrack and the Australian Timetable Association to facilitate their tenancy of the vacant Windsor station building. Having a tenant in the Windsor station building is one of my community’s top priorities for an upgrade to Windsor station, and it was great to hear from the Australian Timetable Association last year that they were interested in leasing the site.
They are undertaking really important work preserving Australian public transport timetables for the State Library of Victoria. They have run out of space at the Prahran Mechanics Institute and have taken a short-term lease elsewhere. They applied to lease the Windsor station building through VicTrack in September 2020, and earlier this year they were told the building may have potential interest from a number of parties and if all approvals are obtained, it will be offered for lease via a publicly advertised process, but they have heard nothing since then and no action appears to have been taken. This site has been empty for many, many years. The Australian Timetable Association are in dire need of a new workspace. It would be fitting for this organisation to lease this space, but instead they have been left in limbo by an unsatisfactory application process through VicTrack. They need clarity. They are keen to lease this site, so I would ask that the minister work with VicTrack to provide the Australian Timetable Association with clear information, time lines and processes for their application.
We welcome the funding in the recent budget for planning for an upgrade to Windsor station, including a new entrance, which has also been one of my community’s top priorities, and they would appreciate further details of what that funding is for and the time line for works. Windsor station is a valuable and historic community landmark in the Prahran electorate. Leasing the building would have strong community benefit whilst respecting the station’s heritage listing and providing the Australian Timetable Association with a perfect location for their transport-related work.
