FRESHLY minted Prahran MP Sam Hibbins cut an ­unassuming figure as he strolled towards his campaign office for his interview with Stonnington Leader.

Mr Hibbins — alongside Melbourne MP Ellen Sandell — is one of the first two Greens elected to Victoria’s Legislative Assembly.

He spoke to the Leader about his plans for Prahran, his party and Victoria.

Q: What was it like when you found out the result?

A:I was pretty exhausted by the time it was all done and ­finalised. It was really great being part of history — there are so many Greens out there that have worked very hard over the years for very little reward, back in the days when we didn’t win any votes let alone seats, so it’s great to see that work paying off.

Q: How will you ensure improvements to South Yarra train station go ahead?

A: I want to make sure the Minister for Public Transport is committed to the project — it was one of Labor’s commitments during the election and I want to make sure it goes ahead. There were some reports that Melbourne Metro might not go ahead and that it might be a difficult project to deliver, but I want to make sure the second entrance at South Yarra station is part of the process.

Q: The Prahran secondary school is one of the key projects for the area — have you spoken with Education Minister James Merlino about the site yet?

A: It’s one of the first orders of business — to make sure we get some clarification from the Minister for ­Education to stick to the promise to go ahead with the school and to open ­negotiations with the Deaf school (Victorian College for the Deaf) about the use of the site.

Q: Is there a timeline on when the Prahran Mission drop-in centre will reopen?

A: I’m not sure of the specific timing of the funding but I would hope it would be within the financial year. It was a commitment of both myself and Labor, so hopefully we see some action very soon.

Q: What are your plans for the public acquisition zones on Punt Rd and would you support clearways?

A:I would like for the ­planning process to happen straight away, whether that means progressing it to a panel or whatever the ­statutory process is. On the clearways, I think they make sense, but we need to have the public transport ­improvements to go along with it. We shouldn’t just be making spaces for more cars, but also getting them off the road. One of our policies was to have increased bus services along Punt Rd, so I’ll be pushing for that as well.

Q: There has been some criticism of the preference system, with the Greens third in the primary vote. Does that impact you at all?

A: When you have a seat like Prahran where both Labor and the Greens are competing, where they both get a strong vote, obviously that is going to have an impact on the count. When you look at the electoral system, Labor got 38 per cent of the vote statewide and is in Government with a majority, so it’s just one of those things.

Q: Do you think Victoria should introduce a ban on developer donations?

A: Absolutely. It’s a conflict of interest. When you have the Government and the Planning Minister making stroke-of-the-pen decisions and have developers contributing to Liberal campaigns, it’s a clear conflict.

Q: Seeing you’ll be riding your bike to work, would you like more bike lanes introduced across Prahran?

A:More and more people are wanting to cycle, so we need to have the infrastructure to go along with it.

Q: You have to leave your old job as a councillor. What will you miss most about Stonnington Council?

A: We worked very well together and the general perception is things are really happening in Stonnington. Whether it’s better bike infrastructure, the Chapel St masterplan, the new sustainability initiative, I was proud to work with my colleagues.