Elsie Lange
Hume council has launched its advocacy campaign ahead of the November state election, including pushing for the duplication of Sunbury Road between Bulla-Diggers Rest Road and Melbourne Airport.
In a report to council, officers said there has “never been a more critical time” to invest in Hume and stimulate the local economy.
“Council doesn’t have responsibility for all the infrastructure our community needs and relies on the support of other levels of government to meet the jobs, education and health needs of our community,” the report said.
At a meeting on Monday, July 11, councillor Jarrod Bell said he commended officers for putting together the ‘Build a Better Hume’ 100-day advocacy priority list.
“It’s often said the squeaky wheel gets the oil and it’s about high time that Hume city council gets a bit more squeaky,” Cr Bell said.
He said it was great to see current works on Sunbury Road taking place, and welcomed the government’s spending on a business case for the Bulla Bypass, but the missing link was the duplication between Bulla-Diggers Rest Road and Melbourne Airport.
“I look only to our west, our friends in the city of Melton, where an ongoing, dedicated and focused advocacy campaign has secured for them the Melton Hospital… that is the story of strong advocacy,” Cr Bell said.
Other advocacy priorities Hume will lobby on ahead of the election include the long-awaited development of Broadmeadows Train Station and for the Big Housing Build to invest in social housing at Broadmeadows’ Banksia Gardens Housing Estate.
Further priorities include the duplication of Mickleham and Somerton roads, and improvements on Donnybrook Road.
“We’re not just asking… It’s about time that we start being the squeaky wheel and I’m confident that the plan that our officers have put together is going to begin to squeak and to squeak and to squeak,” Cr Bell said.
“And hopefully some candidates, and some members of parliament show up with their oil jugs and start squirting some oil where it’s needed most, and that’s across all of these priorities.”
