Members Statement: Growing Suburbs Fund

Ms SPENCE (Yuroke) — Last week I was thrilled to attend, with representatives from Hume City Council, including the mayor, Drew Jessop, and representatives from PEET Limited and the Craigieburn City Football Club, an announcement of a government contribution of $2 million to the Aston recreation reserve from the Growing Suburbs Fund. This reserve will feature soccer pitches, cricket facilities, a sports pavilion and a playground. I give a big thank you to Craigieburn City Football Club, which provided me with a custom jersey. This clearly means I am now on the team, and I will put it to good use once this new facility is completed.

The Growing Suburbs Fund is a terrific program that provides funding for many worthy projects right across the state in areas that are experiencing rapid population growth. This is particularly important in Hume, where the population is expected to grow by almost 100 000 people between 2016 and 2031.

I was delighted to tour the Annadale interim community facility some months ago. It is a vital project that was made possible due to a $500 000 commitment by the Andrews Labor government. Once open it will give residents in the rapidly growing estates in Mickleham access to a preschool room, a multipurpose community meeting space and a maternal and child health room. In total the Hume local government area has received a phenomenal $6.12 million in this round and $3.6 million in last year’s round. This is a total of $9.72 million to fund a wide range of important projects throughout the Hume municipality. Well done to all involved, and I very much look forward to again visiting the Annadale interim community facility and Aston recreation reserve once they are up and running.