By Alesha Capone
AROUND 50 residents from across the western suburbs attended a pre-election rally in Sunshine on Sunday to campaign for the State Government to give the safe Labor area more funding and attention.
One of the rally’s organisers, Sean Spencer from the Respect the West group, outlined issues people were concerned about, including a lack of schools, health-care, recreation opportunities, the oversupply of pokies’ machines, unemployment and violence.
He said an announcement from the State Government to launch a study into a Prep-Year 12 autism-specific school for the West was not enough.
“We want action, not studies,” he said. Members of the Brimbank Transport Action Group and the Maribyrnong Truck Action Group also said they were worried the second half of the WestLink project would not be funded or could become a tolled road, meaning trucks would use suburban streets instead.
BTAG member Peter Thomson said if this happened, thousands more trucks flooding the streets of Sunshine to avoid tolls, would be a “nightmare” for residents. In addition, some election candidates for the seat of Footscray spoke at the rally.
Greens contender Janet Rice labelled Westlink “a massive waste of $5 billion” and said the funds would be better used to improve public transport and get trucks off the streets.
The Western Region Liberal MP Bernie Finn said the election would be a chance to “send a message to both major parties we will not be ignored in the West”.
He said children from the area did not have the same educational opportunities as those from the rest of Melbourne.
“If the Liberal Party is elected on Saturday, there will be a P-12 autism college built in the western suburbs,” he said.
However, Footscray MP Marsha Thomson from the ALP said the government was working to address “years of neglect” in the western suburbs. She said the government’s promise to upgrade Sunshine College would go ahead if the Labor Party was re-elected and added that train stations would also be improved.
