By Victoria Stone-Meadows
The Cranbourne region has come out a winner, with many budgeted projects to benefit the area, according to the 2017-’18 Victorian State Budget released at 1pm on Tuesday 2 May.
The Casey PSA will have a bolstered law and order presence, with 30 new police officers being allocated to the region over the next 12 months.
Emergency services will also improve with the addition of an SES unit based in Cranbourne and a further $2 million being set aside for another SES unit for the Clyde/Officer area in the future.
A total of $70.5 million in funding has also been allocated to acquire land for new schools across the state including a new primary school in the Clyde North/Botanic Ridge area.
Cranbourne will also receive a share of $428.3 million in environmental funding to establish a regional park south of Ballarto Road.
The park will be designed to improve the liveability of the local area by providing informal recreation associated with enjoyment of natural or semi-natural surroundings for large numbers of people.
Roads were also a big spending item for the Cranbourne area with $4.8 million allocated in the 2017-’18 financial year for the ongoing upgrades to Thompsons Road and funding set aside for investigations into upgrades for Glasscocks Road and the Westernport Highway.
The Cranbourne Botanic Gardens is also a budget winner with the State Government kicking in $3.3 million over three years to transition the gardens to using recycled irrigation water.
However, not everyone is happy with the budget, and Casey Mayor Sam Aziz has hit out at the government for reducing funding to the Growing Suburbs Fund.
In previous years, the Growing Suburbs Fund, earlier known as interface fund, had an annual allocation of $50 million a year, but this amount has been halved.
Cr Aziz said due to rate capping and the reduction in money to the Growing Suburbs Fund, residents in Casey would be worse off.
“The Victorian Premier should hang his head in shame,” Cr Aziz said.
“Halving of the Growing Suburbs Fund is a slap in the face to the residents in growth areas like Casey, who will miss out or have to wait longer for the vital infrastructure they deserve.”
