Tara Murray
The upcoming state and federal budgets are a chance to further fund key projects within Brimbank, according to Brimbank mayor Bruce Lancashire.
Key projects like the Sunshine and Albion station redevelopments and the Calder Freeway in recent years, with the council saying that these projects remain the key priorities in this year’s budgets.
Councillor Lancashire said that Melbourne’s west had been overlooked in the past.
“Pre-election 2022, we saw the state government commit to a number of Brimbank’s advocacy priorities, including the Sunshine station masterplan ($143M) and rebuild of Albion station ($80M),” he said.
“These projects, along with the Calder Freeway upgrade are Brimbank’s top priorities that we would like to see funded in the 2023-24 state budget.
“The Sunshine precinct as a whole has been added to Infrastructure Australia’s priority list of projects, making it a Federal Government priority as well.
“The Sunshine Station masterplan and rebuild of Albion Station, are significant commitments for the residents of Melbourne’s west and will have a large impact on Sunshine’s role as the CBD of the west.
“In the past, Melbourne’s west has been overlooked and as a result has missed out on development opportunities. The upcoming 2023-24 budgets are an opportunity for state and federal governments to work together to redress this imbalance and reinvigorate the region as an economic and transport powerhouse in the west.”
Several other projects that have received funding in the past few years and the council will be keeping an eye on the budget to and whether there is more funding this year.
These projects include Australia’s first centre of paramedicine at Victoria University, which the council is advocating to be in Brimbank, upgrades to both campuses at Sydenham Hillside Primary School, upgrade to University Park Primary School in St Albans, new PET scanner at Sunshine Hospital, a new dog park in the Sydenham electorate, upgrade of the 1st Deer Park Scouts facilities, upgrades to trucks in Melbourne’s west to reduce pollutions.
