Write or email your local, state and federal politicians. Say ‘No’ to Sky Rail and ‘Yes’ to lowering the rail under the roads. Just cut and paste the MP’s email addresses below and write an email or use one of the sample letters below.
Your elected representatives look at how many of their constituents contact them when deciding to act on an issue.
The most relevant members of parliament for SkyRail are:
josh.frydenberg@aph.gov.au
jacinta.allan@parliament.vic.gov.au
richard.wynne@parliament.vic.gov.au
daniel.andrews@parliament.vic.gov.au
gavin.jennings@parliament.vic.gov.au
sonya.kilkenny@parliament.vic.gov.au
tim.richardson@parliament.vic.gov.au
A complete list of all Victorian cabinet ministers’ contact details can be found on the Victorian Government’s website, here.
State District and State Region Members of Parliament
To look up contact details for your local State District and State Region Members of Parliament:
Step 1. Enter your address into the VEC Electorate Lookup tool, here, to find out your local representatives.
Step 2. Search their names on the Victorian Parliamentary directory website, here to get their contact details.
Local Council Representatives
Don’t forget your local councillors too. Whilst the Sky Rail issue will be settled at state government level, your local council is at the negotiating table with the LXRA, to argue the case for the bayside suburbs. It’s important that they know what the community wants.
Please write to all councillors at your local council, but particularly your ward councillors who are your direct elected representative on council.
To find your council and ward enter your address into the VEC Electorate Lookup tool, here.
Contact details for Kingston City councillors can be found here.
Contact details for Frankston City councillors can be found here.
Not Sure What To Write? Consider examples at the bottom of the page.
Some concerns you might include:
– Elevated rail system through a residential area is inappropriate when rail-under-road IS possible.
– Community members many kilometres away will be impacted by the visual pollution of the Sky Rail.
– The visual and noise implications of an elevated rail carrying increasing rail traffic, including diesel V/Line and freight trains.
– The increase in noise pollution, with rail noise extending over the house deeper and further into the community and homes.
– Level crossings currently divide our community. Design of level crossing removal must bring the community together, not continue to divide community – a concrete monolith will divide, not unite. Cut and cover will provide linkages and open space.
– Financial impact on property values, short and long term.
– Overshadowing is a major concern, particularly south of the proposed Sky Rail.
– What social impacts the dead space underneath an extended elevated railway will cause. (Vic Police refer to these as “hot spots.”)
– Site for rubbish dumping and graffiti, and associated ongoing costs of its removal.
– The increased impact of high winds during bad weather, on the efficiency and safety of the rail line, when raised above the shelter ground and other local structures.
– The community, social and mental health issues associated with the overshadowing, noise pollution, graffiti, property values and other negative community impacts of the Sky Rail.
– The Sky Rail option should be assessed as part of a full Environmental Effects Statement (EES) and balanced against the rail under road options.
– Design of level crossing removals must not be decided on economics alone, but must involve long-term thinking – not just quick-fix solutions for political gain.
– Why has the Government not released any studies regarding the impact of sound and the visual impact to the community?
– An Environmental Effects Statement (EES) is imperative because the sound impact is likely to penetrate many kilometres and the community needs to be assured that elevated diesel exhaust fumes, which the World Health Organisation says are carcinogenic, will not create a hazard to human health. This can only be assessed through a full environmental impact assessment.
– WHY WON’T THE GOVERNMENT RELEASE ANY REPORTS AND IN PARTICULAR AN EES?
Sample letters below:
Letter to the Commissioner Lang
The April issue of RoyalAuto Magazine is out now, including a special feature on the level crossing removal program.
