With the State election coming up at the end of this month, we've been pleased to see some significant and very welcome commitments and announcements for the City of Melton.
Melton City Council has been advocating to all parties for the key projects that matter to our community – priorities like major road upgrades, rail electrification, better bus networks, Melton Hospital, Maternal and Child Health, education, and the Western Renewables Link route.
*Announcement: Funded by the State Government
*Election commitment: Commitment to fund by a political party if elected to government
Commitments and announcements from the major parties include:
Roads
What Council is asking for:
- Upgrade the Western Highway
- Duplicate and upgrade Melton Highway
- Duplicate Christies Road
- Duplicate and upgrade Hopkins Road
- Duplicate the Robinsons Road, Westwood Drive, Calder Park Drive Corridor
- Build the Calder Park Interchange
Victorian Labor Government (announcement)
$14.9 million to duplicate a section of the Melton Highway between The Regency and Crown Drive.
Victorian Liberal Party (election commitment)
$900 million combined: $700 million upgrade of the Western Highway to urban freeway standard between the Western Ring Road and Melton; $117 million to duplicate the Melton Highway between Melton and Hillside; and $91 million to duplicate Taylors Road between Kings Road and Gourlay Road
Rail
What Council is asking for:
- Electrify the Melton Line
- New stations at Mt Atkinson and Paynes Road (Thornhill Park), and Calder Park
- Upgrade the Melton Station
- Remove the eight dangerous level crossings between Caroline Springs Station and Melton Reservoir
Victorian Labor Government (announcement)
Rebuild Melton Station and remove the level crossings at Coburns Road, Exford Road and Ferris Road in Melton, Hopkins Road, Truganina and Old Calder Highway, Diggers Rest
Victorian Labor Party (election commitment)
$650 million to extend the train platforms on the Melton line to accommodate nine-carriage Velocity trains, for increased capacity and frequency
Buses
What Council is asking for:
- Reconfigure the bus network to improve frequency, reliability and directness and invest in additional services
Victorian Liberal Party (election commitment)
New and expanded bus services across the state *Melton City Council is seeking further information about whether this will include City of Melton or not
Victorian Labor Government (announcement)
A new route 475 from Sunbury Station to Digger Rest Station
Victorian Labor Party (election commitment)
A new bus service connecting Eynesbury with Melton
Hospital
What Council is asking for:
- The timely delivery of the new Melton Hospital
Victoria Labor Government (announcement)
$900m - $1 billion to construct new Melton Hospital and open in 2029
Victorian Liberal Party (election commitment)
Begin construction of new Melton Hospital in 2023
Maternal and Child Health
What Council is asking for:
- Incentives and scholarships to attract and retain maternal child health nurses to ensure the City of Melton's families can access regular home visits for at minimum a child's first eight months
- Increase consultations from 30 minutes to 45 minutes.
- Restore 50:50 shared Maternal and Child Health funding between State and Local Government
Victorian Labor Party (election commitment)
$69 million package to increase contact hours to 8 hours so that 30-minute consultations can be extended to 45 minutes, $2 million to fathers' groups, and increased funding to the early parenting centres *note that Melton City Council has raised that additional staff would be required to deliver this commitment
Health services
What Council is asking for:
- A strong network of allied health and human services
Victorian Labor Party (election commitment)
$870,000 to Hope Street First Response Youth Service in Melton to continue its innovative service
TAFE and tertiary
What Council is asking for:
- A TAFE and tertiary facility in Cobblebank
- A medical school attached to Melton Hospital
Victorian Labor Party (election commitment)
$45-$55 million for a new Melton TAFE to be built in Cobblebank with a focus on construction skills training
Schools
What Council is asking for:
- New Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, Specialist School, and English Language School
Victorian Labor Government (announcements)
Land acquisition for Brookfield Primary School, construction of Cobblebank Secondary School, construction of Toolern Waters (Weir Views) Primary School
Victorian Labor Party (election commitment)
$47.3 million combined: Kurunjang Secondary - $10.7 million Technology Block; Melton South Primary School - $21.3 million to upgrade and modernise the school including classrooms / staff buildings, main classroom wing and construct a new classroom block; Melton Secondary - $8.9 million for new T Block and new rugby/soccer pitch; Toolern Vale and District PS - $6.4 million to upgrade the school including a new multipurpose building, new fence, external basketball court, amphitheatre and playground
Victorian Liberal Party (election commitment)
Build a new primary school in Weir Views
AusNet Transmission Wires
What Council is asking for:
- Conduct a state independent review of the transmission corridor selection process undertaken by the Australian Market Energy Operator
- Independently review underground and alternative corridor assessment reports being completed by AusNet
Victorian Liberal Party (election commitment)
Realign the route to avoid City of Melton
Victorian Labor Government (announcement)
Environment Effects Statement process in place, decision on proposed route to be made post-election
