By Faith Macale
Advocacy group LeadWest is calling on the federal government to invest in Melbourne’s west at the upcoming federal election.
On Thursday, January 23, LeadWest announced its advocacy priorities saying that Melbourne’s west has been left behind and had not received its fair share of funding compared to other regions in Australia.
LeadWest chair Phillip Zada said transport and infrastructure critically needed more government investment.
“We actually have statistics show that the east side of Victoria, for example, has been getting more funding than the west in terms of large scale infrastructure projects,” he said.
“We want us to grow.
“There’s a big push for public housing, and housing in general. We’ve got estates popping up left, right and centre, and we need the infrastructure to support that.“
LeadWest has outlined a list of key priorities including the electrification of Wyndham’s train lines and construction of the Melbourne Airport Rail.
“Greater investment is vital to supporting sustainable growth, easing the cost-of-living pressures, and breaking the cycle of high unemployment, which are only exacerbated by traffic congestion and poor public transport options,“ Mr Zada said.
“[It] will provide our residents with improved transport connectivity that will in-turn deliver better access to health care, education, and jobs.“
Mr Zada stressed that Melbourne’s west is one of the more disadvantaged regions in Australia.
“The upcoming election offers an important opportunity to redress the funding imbalance, and to invest in Melbourne’s west, an area critical to help the federal government achieve its target to build 1.2 million new homes by 2029,” he said.
A federal government infrastructure department spokesperson said they are working closely with the state government to deliver a credible and sustainable pipeline of projects that support transport productivity, resilience, sustainability and liveability.
The state and federal governments on Thursday announced that $333.5 million was being invested towards the Werribee Main Road – Princes Freeway Interchange upgrade and the Ballan Road intersection upgrade.
