Hume and Whittlesea councils agree with the Auditor-General’s
report, which highlights the significant under-investment in transport
infrastructure and services in growth areas.
Whittlesea mayor Rex Griffin said the report was compelling evidence the state government needed an urgent plan of action.
“This is not news to our residents,” Cr Griffin said. “Successive
state governments have failed to deliver and we now have an increasingly
frustrated community fed up with a government model of promoting urban
growth but failing to deliver the very basic services and infrastructure
to support it.”
Hume mayor Geoff Porter said his council had long advocated more investment in the municipality.
RELATED: Growth areas ‘let down’ by state
“The One Melbourne or Two? report, which
was released earlier this year, showed that investment of about $9.8
billion will be required over the coming 15 years for the provision of a
range of new and upgraded infrastructure and services in Melbourne’s
growth areas,” he said.
“This report . . . adds to growing evidence that investment is needed urgently.”
MPs Lily D’Ambrosio (Mill Park) and Danielle Green
(Yan Yean) called on the government to fund urgent road projects,
instead of the $8 billion east-west link tunnel.
“The local community is being ignored by the Napthine government
despite the area being among the fastest-growing suburbs in Melbourne,”
Ms D’Ambrosio said. “I have written to the [Transport] Minister several
times about a number of key ‘hot spots’ . . . but have received only
knockbacks.”
Ms Green said: “We have the spectacle of bus stops with no buses,
clogged roads that trapped residents during the summer’s awful
grassfires and an uncaring government putting a 24-year delay on needed
rail extensions.”
Darren Peters, of the South Morang and Mernda Rail Alliance, said the report confirmed what the group had known for a long time.
“The state government has to heed [residents’ pleas] and build the rail line to Mernda,” he said.
