A LONG-TIME vending machine operator awaits State Government clarity after learning their two-decade tenure at Shepparton Railway Station will yield to Coca-Cola Europacific Partners. Greg Coghlan has managed station vending for 20 years, employing two full-time workers in Northern Victoria. In early February, V/Line ended his contract abruptly, replacing his enterprise with the global giant. Despite a verbal extension to six months following parliamentary intervention by Kim O’Keeffe, Member for Shepparton District, no official exit date has been set.
O’Keeffe criticised the lack of communication and transparency, urging the Minister for Public and Active Transport, Gabrielle Williams, to reverse the decision. She emphasised the impact on local jobs and the absence of a fair process for Goulburn Valley Vending Service under V/Line’s procurement policy, calling for equitable treatment and planning certainty for affected businesses.
“Not only was there no communication until the service was axed, but there’s also zero certainty for Greg and his staff with no date as to when they’ll be kicked out of the precinct. This decision impacts local jobs and fails a basic fairness test with the existing supplier not even given the chance to put a proposal forward to keep providing its services,” O’Keeffe said.
Coghlan has appealed directly to the Minister, seeking clarity for his staff’s future amidst ongoing uncertainty.
