Esther Lauaki
Wyndham council is calling for the federal government to fast track funding for the vital East Werribee Employment Precinct, the Western Rail Plan and Westlink projects to aid the area’s recovery in the wake of COVID 19.
The council has backed the North and West Melbourne City Deal Plan 2020-2040, a blueprint for the region to respond to the impacts of the pandemic in the immediate and medium-term by creating a job-generating plan, launched this week.
The City Deal Plan includes 66 transformative and enabling projects – many of which are shovel ready or have business cases already in development – and targets the creation of 300,000 new jobs by 2040.
Wyndham mayor Josh Gilligan said Melbourne’s North and West have been among the hardest hit by the economic and social impacts of COVID-19, and council was keen to be part of a government-led recovery that would bring forward much-needed funding, job creation and infrastructure for the region.
“We are in an unprecedented position to create positive, long lasting change for Wyndham and Melbourne’s North and West and we need the state and federal governments to invest in projects that will make a positive difference to our future.”
Cr Gilligan said Wyndham’s investment priorities included development of the East Werribee Employment Precinct, the Western Rail Plan and Westlink.
“The East Werribee Employment Precinct has tremendous potential for Wyndham as a bustling employment, technology and educational hub and we need to ensure this site is appropriately activated to provide the jobs our community needs now and into our future,” he said.
“As our population grows, so too does traffic congestion, and building Westlink is vital to relieving this congestion and improving travel times for drivers by connecting Tarneit to Wyndham Vale and Manor Lakes, and Wyndham Vale to Werribee and the Princess Freeway.
“But we need more than new roads to improve transport in and out of Wyndham – that’s why we also need investment in the Western Rail Plan.
“Our next step is to work towards formal Memorandum of Understanding arrangements at a Commonwealth, State and local government level to turn this plan into a reality.”
The plan was developed collaboratively between 13 Councils, represented by LeadWest and the Northern Councils Alliance, La Trobe and Victoria Universities, and economic development bodies NORTH Link and the West of Melbourne Economic Development Alliance.
Read the plan at www.nwmcitydeal.org.au
