By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
CASEY is among the seven south-eastern councils which have welcomed the arrival of the new Victorian Government, with Labor having made a string of election promises for the municipality.
South East Melbourne (SEM) Chair and City of Frankston Mayor Sandra Mayer said her council coalition had been monitoring and assessing Labor’s election pledges against regional priorities during the election campaign and was pleased with the initial results.
“We are encouraged by the fact that many of the commitments made are consistent with our regional priorities and we look forward to sitting down with the new government to discuss exactly how and when each promise will be delivered,” she said.
Labor’s election promises regarding the City of Casey include the removal of the Hallam and Berwick railway crossings, for which funding has already been confirmed, and a $5 million upgrade of Hampton Park Primary School.
The State Government has also pledged to install public toilets at Hallam station, and promised a $175 million duplication of Thompsons Road, in addition to a $106 million upgrade of Casey Hospital.
“We’ll also be seeking to learn more about how SEM communities will benefit from broader state-wide commitments including the Back to Work program, aimed at creating 100,000 jobs and the plan for Fairer, Safer Housing,” Ms Mayer said.
She also said the south-east councils were in the final stages of developing their first regional plan and would be seeking commitments from regional MPs during the coming months.
“While we are grateful for all of these important announcements, there is much more to be done to ensure that we are ready to respond to the long-term challenges and opportunities our region is expected to face,” Ms Mayer said.
“These include creating and attracting more local jobs to respond to increasing population growth, building the necessary infrastructure to accommodate growing communities, developing our freight and logistics network to support economic growth and improving public transport.”
