{"id":122037,"date":"2025-10-13T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-12T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/?p=122037"},"modified":"2025-10-12T23:26:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T12:26:22","slug":"mp-calls-for-airport-link","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/mp-calls-for-airport-link\/","title":{"rendered":"MP calls for airport link"},"content":{"rendered":"

A LOCAL MP is backing a community push for public transport links from Geelong’s northern suburbs to Avalon Airport and its surrounding employment precinct.<\/p>\n

Lara MP Ella George has launched a petition to gauge local support for bus connections between Lara train station and both the airport terminal and the growing employment precinct.<\/p>\n

“With thousands working in the precinct at major distribution centres, and hundreds using the airport every day, we need public transport to Avalon,” Ms George said.<\/p>\n

“I think that buses are the best solution as they can be delivered quickly and utilise the existing road infrastructure.<\/p>\n

“I’m fighting hard to secure bus services, but I can’t do it alone \u2014 that’s why I’ve asked local residents to add their voice and sign my petition.”<\/p>\n

There is presently no bus service from Geelong’s northern suburbs to the Avalon precinct, despite being less than a 15-minute drive from nearby Corio and Norlane, and only eight minutes by car from the closest train station in Lara.<\/p>\n

For residents attempting to make the trip by public transport, however, travel times quickly swell to two hours or more.<\/p>\n

To reach the precinct from Lara train station, commuters must hop on a Melbourne-bound train, travelling past Avalon to Wyndham Vale, take a bus to Werribee Station, then catch a Skybus shuttle back to Avalon Airport.<\/p>\n

Ms George said the lack of public transport connections was forcing people who do not have their own car to ask for a lift or take a taxi or rideshare service.<\/p>\n

“I don’t think that’s fair,” she said.<\/p>\n

“There are many employment opportunities at the major distribution centres, but a lack of public transport is a barrier for some jobseekers.<\/p>\n

“Affordable, reliable public transport supports jobseekers to find work, and I think it’s important that the state government does what it can to support people who are looking for work and help reduce any barriers to employment.”<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Real Deal Geelong launched its own campaign calling for transport links to the precinct<\/a>, citing high rates of unemployment in the northern suburbs.<\/p>\n

Real Deal Geelong community organiser Sally Fisher described it as an “equity issue” locking some of the region’s most vulnerable people out of the workforce.<\/p>\n

A bus network review, announced as part of this year’s state budget, is expected to investigate what is and isn’t working with the network’s existing services, including around the Avalon area.<\/p>\n

To sign Ms George’s petition, head to forms.gle\/4Y6ipcHGhwV295NF9<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A LOCAL MP is backing a community push for public transport links from Geelong’s northern suburbs to Avalon Airport and its surrounding employment precinct. Lara MP Ella George has launched a petition to gauge local support for bus connections between Lara train station and both the airport terminal and the growing employment precinct. “With thousands […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":216,"featured_media":122162,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-122037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMP calls for airport link - Geelong Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lara MP Ella George backs a petition for bus links from Geelong's northern suburbs to Avalon Airport, improving access to jobs and the employment precinct.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/mp-calls-for-airport-link\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MP calls for airport link - 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