Mike Symon (Deakin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 27 November the people of Victoria will choose their next state government and, in many ways, the state electorates that lie within my federal electorate of Deakin will be a major determinant of the outcome. As with most elections, the level of public interest might start off slowly, but it is certainly increasing as election day in Victoria draws near.

For instance, the state seat of Mitcham sits wholly within the borders of Deakin, apart from a small patch down in Aston. Tony Robinson has been the local member for Mitcham since winning at a by-election in 1997. Tony Robinson was one of the key drivers of the federal seat of Deakin receiving funding through federal and state governments to grade-separate the railway crossing at Springvale Road. It was Melbourne’s No. 1 red spot for traffic congestion and has been a long, long-running problem. It is a real pleasure for me as a federal member to be able to work that closely with a state member to achieve a result that benefits the whole community. It is a $140 million project that simply would not have happened if levels of government were not working together, and that includes working right down to the local level. Of course, it is not just motorists that benefit from a project like that but train users, bus users, local traders—because people can now park outside their shops instead of being stuck in a traffic jam—and pedestrians. Just to get from one side of the railway line to another is a very hard task when the boom gates are down for 218 trains a day.

Tony has proven his track record with projects like that. In the lead-up to the state election, he has committed to many more local projects, such as a $500,000 investment in the development of a Swim Centre for Excellence at the Aqualink Nunawading precinct; and a redevelopment of Mullauna College, a great secondary school that lies within the electorate of Deakin and will be even better with new infrastructure. There is also on his list an upgrade to the Blackburn Railway Station to put in new shelters and seating on the platforms, CCTV cameras and extra lighting for safety in such a public space. A really good commitment that he has let me know about is to install a pedestrian crossing outside Blackburn Primary School on Surrey Road in Blackburn, a $280,000 commitment, which really ties in well with the brand-new building that Tony attended when I opened it only a couple of weeks ago. It is a full-size basketball court with a music stage, the perfect thing for a school with 450 students. It is very busy and they certainly do need that pedestrian crossing. It just goes to show that, by having your finger on the pulse locally, you can achieve some of these things, and it is certainly good to look ahead to what needs to be done.

The other state electorate that I will concentrate on that straddles my federal electorate of Deakin is the state electorate of Kilsyth. It is one of the most marginal electorates in the state of the Victoria. It is held by a margin of just over 200 votes by the other side. It went right down to the wire in 2006. I have known the Labor candidate there, Vicki Setches, for many years. She has lived locally for most of her life and she is one of the hardest-working community people I have ever met. She is a great advocate for just about any group she is involved with. She is always there, always in my ear and always in many other people’s ears. I think she would really make a fantastic state member for the district of Kilsyth.

Since becoming the candidate, Vicki has had the great pleasure to be down at Ringwood Secondary College just recently with many other candidates and members to announce the funding of up to $100 million to refurbish or rebuild seven secondary schools in the region. They are Norwood, Maroondah, Parkwood, Ringwood Secondary College, Heathmont College and Croydon Community School. It is a great achievement to get that sort of commitment, because these schools were built back in the fifties and sixties, when the area was a bit different but also when students’ and teachers’ needs were a lot different. When classrooms were built, they only had one power point because there was not much to plug into it. There were no computers. There were no networks. In a lot of the schools, even though the buildings may still be sound, they are not made for the uses that we expect them to be used for in the 21st century, so that sort of funding is a great commitment. That was also done in conjunction with Peter Lockwood, the candidate and previous member for Bayswater.

In addition, the state Labor Party has pledged $30 million to Maroondah Hospital. That is great. That is for a new critical-care unit, and that is in addition to the funding that I and Nicola Roxon pledged. (Time expired)