Calls to reinstate a fund for growth areas such as Pakenham and Officer have been backed by a Labor MP, who says councils on the urban fringe need support to provide critical community infrastructure.
Melton MP Steve McGhie, has appeared in a number of videos for the Outer Melbourne Councils alliance, as the advocacy group escalates its campaign to have the Growing Suburbs Fund reinstated.
The Growing Suburbs Fund was established in 2015, then called the Interface Growth Fund, to assist councils with the cost of building community centres, parks, playgrounds, public toilets, changerooms, sports grounds and other public facilities. Over a decade, the fund provided about $440 million to help councils deliver more than 300 critical community infrastructure projects.
Local projects such as the Pakenham Revitalisation Project, the upgrade to the Upper Beaconsfield Reserve Pavilion, Officer District Park and many others have been made possible by contributions from this fund.
The fund was originally a $50 million annual funding pool. However, it was later reduced to $10 million and then to $5 million.
The state government completely defunded the program in the 2025 budget.
“Councils can’t build facilities like recreational facilities, community hubs, upgrades to parks and things like that. They can’t do that without support,” Mr McGhie said in a video released on social media.
“Melton Council has received about $50 million over the last seven years from the Growth Suburbs Fund, and I’d like to see that continue.”
The MP also said continued investment in community infrastructure would help keep young people engaged and away from crime.
“If we don’t have sporting grounds for kids, what do kids get up to? If they don’t have good school facilities, what do they do?
“Do they stay engaged with school and things like that?
“They have to have these modern, upgraded facilities, and having good sporting facilities keeps them engaged and keeps them out of trouble.”
Outer Melbourne Councils wants the state government to reinstate the Growing Suburbs Fund in the May budget, ideally at the original rate of $50 million per year.
“Thriving, liveable communities require critical community infrastructure, and we can’t do this alone,” an OMC spokesperson said.
