More CCTV cameras could soon go live in Sunbury following a federal election pledge.
Announced by Hawke MP Sam Rae on Tuesday, April 8, $1.5 million will be invested in CCTV cameras across Hume, Melton, and Moorabool councils if Labor is re-elected.
Mr Rae said the funding is aimed at ensuring people in Sunbury, Melton, Bacchus Marsh and surrounds are “safer and more secure.”
“This $1.5 million election commitment is about tackling the issues that matter most to people in Hawke,” Mr Rae said.
In a video posted to Facebook, Mr Rae said “our shopping centres and our parks need to be safe for everyone to use and enjoy,” and that Labor will “work with Victoria Police to make sure that our communities are safe and violence-free.”
In response to the announced funding, a spokesperson for Hume said the council is “committed to advocating for safety measures that will help keep our community safe”.
“We look forward to learning more about this initiative, and how it will be utilised within Hume,” the spokesperson said.
“Council will then consider this commitment in line with our external grant management policy, as it falls outside of our capital works program.”
Sunbury Business Association president Michael Osborne said that the association welcomes the announcement, and that during a recent workshop with members of the Sunbury business community “there was great concern raised in relation to crime, homelessness, and drug issues in and around the Sunbury CBD”.
Despite welcoming the announcement, Mr Osborne questioned the funding amount and how it will be allocated across the electorate.
“$1.5 million will be allocated to Hume, and more specifically Sunbury … Hawke is a large electorate, so with all due respect, $1.5 million won’t go very far,” Mr Osborne said.
Mr Osborne said the association was “heavily involved” in lobbying to the relevant government bodies to install the initial CCTV cameras that were installed in the Sunbury business area several years ago.
