Don’t touch city’s funding: VicUrban

By Shaun Inguanzo
VICURBAN has urged future governments not to alter current funding commitments to central Dandenong’s revitalisation.
VicUrban senior project manager Fiona De Preu said while the State Government’s $90 million for the project announced in September 2005 was locked in, the further $197 million announced in April this year was not safe.
The State Election now looms and voting will take place on 25 November.
The City of Greater Dandenong council called an emergency meeting with Opposition leader Ted Baillieu in June after he voiced his lack of faith in VicUrban’s Metro 3175 housing development off Cheltenham Road.
Mr Baillieu said at the time the development would fail to attract buyers.
Former council CEO Carl Wulff said in June that Mr Baillieu must have been given ‘poor advice’.
The council later met with Mr Baillieu to explain the revitalisation program.
Ms De Preu said this week that funding commitments were “any future government’s prerogative to change”.
But she added: “There are lots of reasons why the commitment should not be changed.”
Ms De Preu said the reasons were quite obvious and would include increased trade, employment and Dandenong’s potential to be a retail and entertainment hub in the south-east corridor of Melbourne.