The Growth Areas Authority has included the 450ha in Point Cook, which has already been vocally opposed by residents, and an astonishing 1,110ha in Werribee West, in its Urban Growth Boundaries, opening the way for further population growth in our already stretched community.

Local State MPs Tim Pallas, Member for Tarneit, and Jill Hennessy, Member for Altona, have both called on the Baillieu Government to immediately explain how its inclusion of more than 1500ha in Wyndham in the Urban Growth Boundaries can possibly be supported.

Ms Hennessy said releasing green wedge land for more development was reckless without making the transport infrastructure improvements that the community is already calling for.

“This is very concerning to Wyndham residents who have campaigned against this change, including the hundreds who have signed the petition against the development in Point Cook West,” said Ms Hennessy.

“Not only has Mr Baillieu ignored these community concerns, he has gone even further and included another site almost 3 times larger,” said Ms Hennessy.

Mr Pallas welcomed Planning Minister Matthew Guy’s statement that he would not be approving any Precinct Structure Plans in Point Cook West before plans were made for transport and employment infrastructure.

However, he warned that these plans would be much scrutinised as these are two of the most important issues the Wyndham community faces.

“Local residents are expressing their concern to me about the trouble they already face with increasing gridlock on the roads,” said Mr Pallas.

“Despite this, Mr Guy said he will sell off an additional 1500 hectares of green wedge land to build more houses.

Despite the comforting language being employed by the Minister the fact remains that the Government will make millions of dollars in the windfall land sales but has committed not one dollar to the arterial road network that is the clear responsibility of the State of Victoria.”

“This will mean even more congestion on our roads which poses a risk to safety, and to residents’ enjoyment of life in our community,” said Mr Pallas. 

Mr Guy has in the past indicated an awareness of the link between growth and infrastructure needs. In 2008 he told Parliament that he knew Victorians were in favour of growth, “so long as you fix our roads, so long as you fix our rail and so long as you match it with a corresponding increase in services.”

“This sentiment seems to have been forgotten in the Government’s desperation to look like it is doing something,” said Ms Hennessy.

There was no funding for roads in Wyndham in the 2012-13 Budget, compared with the $25m Labor spent annually on Wyndham’s roads in its final four years in Government.

“We will be awaiting with interest the plans that the Government puts forward to deal with the infrastructure challenges that the expansion of the Urban Growth Boundaries will bring,” said Mr Pallas.