Two new Regional Rail Link stations, 13 new schools and support services for the Wyndham Justice Precinct have topped Wyndham council’s state and federal government wishlists for this year’s budgets.
The council recently submitted its 2018-19 pre-budget submissions for both levels of government, with a number of projects, including a business case, land and infrastructure planning study, master plan development and land acquisition for the Western Interstate Freight Terminal, requiring funding from both the state and federal governments.
The submissions also called for:
• Funding to build a senior secondary college and two primary schools, and funding to plan and acquire land for seven primary schools, two secondary schools and a specialist school;
•A duplicated four-lane Ison Road overpass bridge;
•Planning for new Regional Rail Link stations at Black Forest Road and Davis Road;
•Pre-planning and prioritisation to remove the Werribee and Hoppers Crossing level crossings;
•Financing the support services hub in the Wyndham Justice Precinct in the 2018-19 budgets;
•Buying land and planning for a Wyndham family violence support and safety hub;
•Supporting Avalon Airport’s plans to become an international airport (federal); and
•Continued federal government funding for 15 hours per week of kindergarten.
The council has also supported a call by the Interface Councils for an increased and long-term funding commitment to the Growing Suburbs Fund, which contributes to projects in Melbourne’s growth areas.
Councillor Josh Gilligan said it was time Wyndham received its fair share.
“If you look at the program that the federal government have outlined, and you look at western Sydney, Brisbane, getting significant quantums of funding – hundreds of millions of dollars, to be precise – they’re growing at a rate of knots. We’re growing at very similar rates, [but] we’ve been given $200,000. That is it,” he said.
