By Gabrielle Costa
NOT perfect but not too bad. That was the verdict on the State Budget from Maribyrnong mayor Michelle MacDonald last week.
Extra cash for health and social justice initiatives were strong positives but more funds for public transport “would have been very well received by our community as our trains and stations are bursting at the seams in peak hour”.
Councillor MacDonald said funding for climate change initiatives was a disappointment: “Council had hoped that climate change would be a major funding recipient because climate change requires bold action,” she said.
And more cash for affordable housing ($86.2 million has been allocated statewide and local suburbs will receive only a portion of that) was needed.
“After last year’s figure of $500 million, we didn’t expect massive dollars but, disappointingly, affordable housing will inevitably continue to hit us hard given the traditionally low-income profile of our community, combined with being ‘discovered’ as an inner city area by house-hunters from the rest of Melbourne,” she said.
Cr MacDonald welcomed many of the broad budget initiatives designed to improve the lot of children and young families, but said “time will only tell how much of the funds will filter down into the local government level, more specifically, into the City of Maribyrnong”.
She said cash boosts in the health sector – hospitals as well as maternal and children’s services – as well as stamp duty cuts, would benefit residents in the municipality and help to ease their “daily financial struggles”.
“Maribyrnong City Council is generally supportive of the State Budget announced yesterday, but like any budget, it isn’t perfect,” she said. “Judging from this very early stage, it seems to be encouraging with positive implications for young families with children starting out…
“An investment of $816 million towards school upgrades and $350 million towards capital works on community hospitals, including the Sunshine Hospital, which services residents of Maribyrnong, means enhanced facilities for basic community services, catering to the expansion of our city’s population and the current baby-boom trend,” she said.
Dollars for social justice initiatives, including those for disabled children and at-risk communities such as Aborigines and newly arrived migrant groups, were a boon.
“We are certainly hopeful this funding will make its way to Maribyrnong where our diverse community is sure to benefit from every dollar, if applied in a strategic, holistic way,” she said.
Cr MacDonald said top-notch transport systems had a positive environmental impact and the council expected announcements from the State Government, later this year, on its response to the wide-ranging Eddington report into the city’s transport networks.
“Council and the community will be watching this very closely and actively advocating for a huge injection of transport infrastructure in the West,” she said.
