Student push for bus

By Sarah Thompson
GEMBROOK’S commuting problem has come down to the hands of a 13-year-old student.
Emerald Secondary College pupil Michael Galea has put forward a petition urging Parliament to approve a better bus service between Gembrook and Pakenham that will give residents an accessible train line in and out of the city.
The year eight student has been commended by Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato for his leadership in putting forward the 150-signature petition, which he hopes will be forwarded to Parliament early next month.
“I think Gembrook needs better public transport services,” Michael said.
He last week presented Ms Lobato with the petition that she will lobby for in Parliament.
“It is fantastic that people as young as Michael are engaging with important issues as well as gaining knowledge about how lobbying and the political process works,” Ms Lobato said.
Michael says he has always had an interest in public transport issues, and the idea for the petition came to him a few years ago.
With the help of Bob Farr, the president of the Gembrook township committee, Michael was able to get in contact with Ms Lobato and put forward his ideas for the petition. “Michael has shown extraordinary leadership on this issue.
“He approached me and I was thrilled to provide him with assistance in how to go about and wording a petition,” Ms Lobato said.
Emerald Secondary College principal Wayne Burgess is thrilled with the positive example Michael has set for other students. I commend him for taking the initiative. It’s great to see a year eight act on what is best for the community,” Mr Burgess said.
He agrees that the public transport issue in Emerald and Gembrook does need to be improved, and is worried about the impact that the lack of public transport has on students wanting to attend TAFE and universities in other Melbourne areas.
“We’ve pursued this issue on behalf of students,” he said.
Last year, Ms Lobato worked closely with a group of Emerald Secondary College senior students in a series of workshops that dealt with local issues that saw Ms Lobato pushing for more frequent bus times in the Emerald and Gembrook areas.
“I will continue to raise the need for extra bus services in the electorate,” she said.
“With continued population growth in Gembrook and other hills townships, we need to ensure that public transport infrastructure keeps pace with the increasing demand for services.”