Michaela Meade
Hume families are the big winners in this year’s state budget, with the state government allocating funding to begin upgrading Mickleham Road and for the expansion of Mickleham Primary School.
The government has allocated $14.851 million for stage one early works on Mickleham Road.
Hume council and Greenvale residents have been calling for the road to be duplicated for a number of years.
The government has also pledged $13.67 million for Mickleham Primary School.
Yuroke MP Ros Spence announced that the school would be expanded last October.
The budget also included $556 million for the construction of 10 previously announced community hospitals, including at Craigieburn and Mernda, while $100 million has been set aside for the previously announced paediatric zones at five hospitals, including Northern Hospital.
The hospital also received $14.68 million for the stage two expansion of inpatient services.
Other projects included in the budget include the refurbishment of Broadmeadows Fire Station ($6 million), a further $7.4 million for the the Kangan Education First Youth Foyer in Broadmeadows, $60 million to develop Kangan’s Broadmeadows campus and $100,000 to beginn work on the new Craigieburn fire station, which announced by the government in 2018.
The government has also allocated funding to continue the Plenty Road and O’herns Road upgrades, as well as setting aside funding to begin planning upgrades to Somerton and Craigieburn Road East.
A number of schools across Whittlesea and Hume also received funding in the budget including the long-awaited Greenvale Secondary College, with the government planning to build Merrifield West Secondary College, Wollert West Primary School and Wollert East Secondary College as part of a $491 million investment in new schools across the state.
More to come.
