Tuesday, 30 April 2024

Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution Fund

Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:47): (840) My adjournment matter this evening is for Minister Kilkenny in her capacity as Minister for the Suburbs. The action that I am seeking is for the minister to provide an update on the projects being delivered in the south-east of Melbourne through the Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution – GAIC – Fund. Thirty-seven projects have been announced across Victoria for the GAIC just last week, including 10 from the Growth Areas Public Transport Fund and 27 from the Building New Communities Fund.

Communities in the south-east will benefit from more $62.5 million of funding for public transport alone, including $23.6 million for extending the existing 831 bus route, which currently runs from Berwick station to the Kingsmere estate. That is now going to be extended along the new Bells Road. Bells Road has progressively just opened in the recent months and is a secondary north–south corridor through the south side of Berwick and into Clyde North, which is going to be a critical route for avoiding Clyde Road traffic for both car and bus traffic, so it is going to be wonderful to see this second north–south bus option in the area. It is also seeing $16.2 million to extend the existing route 798, which runs from Cranbourne station through to Clyde North. That extension will see it run even further into Clyde North. As we have with previous routes in this area, the 798 extension will see the bus service in the suburb extended in line with the growing population and with new estates. It will also see extensions to the route 925 and 928 buses which currently operate in Pakenham and will extend into Officer as well.

I would also like to acknowledge the very hard advocacy of my colleague in the other place the member for Pakenham as well as Cardinia Shire Council and their mayor Cr Jack Kowarzik. It has been an honour to work with them in campaigning for these improvements for the broader south-east region, and it was wonderful to see these amounts last week.

There are also going to be a number of additional projects, including a shared user path on Craig Road in Cranbourne East and a shared user path along Soldiers Road, Berwick, between the M1 overpass and O’Shea Road, as well as $4.23 million for land acquisition for the new CFA Clyde fire station. This funding will support the growing community in my region of the south-east, especially in the very fast growing suburb of Clyde North.

As our suburbs continue to grow it is important that we continue to deliver the services and the infrastructure that they need, and that is exactly what the Allan Labor government is doing. It is why I welcome the GAIC funding as announced last week by Minister Kilkenny, and it is why, to reiterate, I am seeking an update from the minister on these projects being delivered in the south-east of Melbourne as part of the GAIC fund.