Mr Pallas (Tarneit) — I  express my  growing concern and the concern  of my community  about  the urgent need  for  the government to  commit to substantial action  on the  development  of  the Werribee  employment  precinct. This  is  a much-needed  investment  aimed  at  developing  local  job  opportunities  in my electorate of Tarneit  in the  outer west  of Melbourne. The city of Wyndham has the fastest population  growth  rate  in  Australia  at  8.8  per cent, which is equivalent to 11 households a  day, and  has suffered  the worst  of the  recent employment slowdown. This government’s failure to  invest  in  infrastructure is exacerbating the situation. In the last  calendar  year the outer west lost 6800 jobs — more than anywhere else in Victoria.

The  city  of Wyndham is expected  to grow by almost 80  000 households over the next 20 years.

The problem  will be seriously  exacerbated  if the proposed  injection  of 2000 additional houses, meaning up to 5000 additional residents, under the Point Cook west  development  goes   ahead.  The  roads  are  already  congested,  and  the infrastructure is overburdened.  As the Wyndham Weekly  noted on 25 January, the councillors at Wyndham have launched a  scathing  attack  on the Point Cook west development, and I join them in their criticism. I congratulate the deputy mayor and my Liberal Party opponent at the last election,  Cr  Glenn  Goodfellow,  who told the Wyndham Weekly that whilst 2000 homes in a 145-hectare  parcel of  land have been earmarked  for development, there is  no commitment to an  interchange worth $80 million at Sneydes Road or the Dunnings Road overpass. Here we have  a road in a plan, but guess what? It is a road to nowhere.

See Tim’s speech in Hansard here.