By XAVIER SMERDON
WYNDHAM Council has sent a strong message to the State and Federal Governments to either provide much needed infrastructure or stop new residents from moving into the municipality.
At last week’s council meeting, Councillor Shane Bourke raised a notice of motion to review the planning and management of urban growth in Wyndham.
The motion also called on the Growth Areas Authority to provide details on how Wyndham could obtain more infrastructure funding.
Cr Bourke said despite the State Government’s planning standards stating that no more than 10 per cent of houses should be more than 400 metres from a bus stop, currently more that 50 per cent of homes in Point Cook were outside this distance.
“Even if the bus stop is nearby the bus comes only once every 40 minutes, and more often than not, doesn’t connect with the trains,” Cr Bourke said.
Cr Bourke called on both the State and Federal governments to start providing answers.
“The days of hoping on a wing and a prayer that somehow we’ll get infrastructure in the form of bits and crumbs in a piecemeal and ad hoc basis are over,” he said.
“If the State and Federal governments can’t provide the infrastructure then simply and plainly stop the growth.”
But Councillor Cynthia Manson said the council had received major funding in the form of the Regional Rail Link.
“We have not been completely ignored. I think if I was a mother and my child said to me ‘oh I didn’t get anything’, I would say ‘well I bought you a car last year for your birthday’,” Cr Manson said.
“I don’t want to see us complain. Overall we have been very privileged in getting infrastructure for our community.”
