SEM delegation advocates for jobs, trains, planes and ports in south-east Melbourne

Representatives of the seven Councils in the south east Melbourne region, including Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula, today met with Mr Anthony Albanese, the Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development to elaborate city partnership plans for the South east.

The regional leaders, which included Mayors and local government CEOs, demonstrated to Mr Albanese how the region’s seven Councils have come together to work collaboratively to create jobs, tackle congestion and to work with the Federal and State governments to increase productivity, promote sustainability and ensure liveability.

The South East Melbourne (SEM) Chair, Mr Simon McKeon, told Mr Albanese“SEM is seeking a City Partnership to help develop a structure that will support a multi-level government regional approach to getting growth right in Melbourne’s south east.” Mr McKeon said “The SEM priority projects that would form part of a City Partnership which will create tens of thousands of jobs and transform road and public transport infrastructure through better use of the region’s under-utilised assets, to increase productivity, promote sustainability and ensure liveability.”

The Committee for Greater Frankston first presented our economic priorities to Mr Albanese in July 2019 and we are thrilled to be working with strong organisations like SEM and our regions local councils to advocate for a city partnership strategy that will…

• Revitalise Frankston, creating jobs and a new health and education precinct with key investment in the extension of the commuter rail line.
• Build the South East Airport to create 7,170 jobs and bring more than $17 billion in wider economic benefits to the region and beyond.
• Create 6,100 jobs and take 3,500 trucks a day off the roads by building the South East Freight Hub.

Mr Albanese said “Congratulations to South East Melbourne. You are definitely on the right track. You are well prepared to be among the first regions to apply for a City Partnership should the ALP win the next Federal election.”T

In late November, an earlier SEM delegation travelled to Canberra to meet with a variety of federal ministers about the infrastructure and employment needs of Melbourne’s south-east region.

Other South East Melbourne priority projects include:

• Create 23,000 jobs at the Monash National Employment and Innovation Cluster by building the Westall Road extension.
• Improve job prospects and quality of life for residents by investing in the skills people need to get the right jobs for our future
• Invest in the Cardinia Employment Precinct to create thousands of new jobs.
• Recycle water to create 361 jobs and provide a positive environmental impact, as well as helping farmers and firefighters.
• Create a plan for the 3,500 hectares of special-use zoned land at Hastings and surrounds – an underused public asset that can be a centre of innovation and job creation.