The state government has just leased the Port of Melbourne. It now has close to an additional $10 billion dollars in its coffers. Regional Victoria, and in particular Ballarat, needs investment in its rail services to meet the demands of today and the future. We must demand that the government invests in vital community infrastructure at the station, not pie-in-the-sky ventures such as a hotel to be built there.

Ballarat's population is expected to grow from 100,000 today to 130,000 by 2030. We need to be realistic there won't be sufficient jobs for that population, even with Council's emphasis on economic development to create jobs, we must demand that our state government focuses on investing further in Regional rail.

Many people in Ballarat already use public transport to go to work because the nature of their skills and abilities requires them to travel to Melbourne for suitable employment, and they are frustrated by the current state of the train service to get them there.

Check the Ballarat station dirt car park on any week day; it is already full to overflowing, and there is no plan to increase this parking. A hotel on the site will only create chaos for commuters. The car park at Wendouree is also at full capacity.

Council must also lobby the state government to consider building new stations to service the Lucas/Delacombe area and to the north at Mount Rowan where the population is growing. I am on the record as stating we need 45-minute express services for the peak periods and 59-minute services for the off-peak periods. This will also support our growing tourist numbers, international tourists in particular use public transport when they travel.

The growing population along the Midland Highway corridor also needs to be serviced by opening the rail lines between Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo. An integrated transport hub at the Ballarat Station that provides a fast, affordable rail service is the key to Ballarat's transport needs. We must demand that the state government focuses on this essential need of our community, not get into political point scoring by proposing unrealistic capital ventures involving hotels.

Ron Egeberg, council candidate for Central Ward

Is it only me or does the narrative around Ballarat council spending our rates on a speculative bid for a motor sports complex sound a lot like the rate money wasted on the North Melbourne bid to have AFL at Eureka Stadium. Certainly the CEOs of North Melbourne at the time and CAMS are the same person.

Ballarat's motor sport community have long been neglected and need real council support for club level activities, but we shouldn't be lured into the costly process of establishing state level facilities without a guarantee of state funding. I think this city is too often being played by those who have agendas that would include using a naive city council too anxious to 'play with the big boys' to fund their bids, or give them leverage in their real bids that don't benefit or even involve this city or region. We really have to be better than this.

Dr Mark Harris, council candidate for Central Ward

We wish to give a big thank you to Mr Dean Binns and Otis of Specsavers. My husband, Heinz had a bad fall which resulted in his brand new glasses being broken beyond repair. On returning to Specsavers, he was told they would be replaced free of charge.

Jean and Heinz Luksch, Invermay Park.