By Tate Papworth
Labor’s Daniel Mulino describes Saturday’s federal election as bittersweet.
Mr Mulino made history, becoming the first member for the newly established seat of Fraser, but his party won’t form government after the Coalition claimed an unlikely victory.
“It’s very exciting – I’m honoured to be the first member to represent Fraser, but it was certainly bittersweet given the national result,” he said.
Mr Mulino and the Labor Party had made a number of election commitments contingent on forming government, including $5 million towards the St Albans Leisure Centre.
The project is now left without federal or state government support, but Mr Mulino vowed to advocate for support in his new role.
“Labor made an election commitment and I’ll continue to push for the leisure centre to get federal assistance,” he said.
“I think it’s an innovative approach to a leisure centre … and requires the co-operation of all three levels of government.
“I’ll continue to advocate for a lot of the issues we put forward. The leisure centre is one, but under a Labor government local schools would have received $28 million in funding over three years.”
Mr Mulino also intends to make his voice heard as the Airport Rail Link and Sunshine Super Hub move towards a reality.
“I’m keen that the way we procure this meets the needs of the community,” he said.
“I want to see it give opportunities to young people and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity and it must be designed in a way that benefits the community in the long run.”
