By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
DANDENONG has been neglected in favour of nearby neighbour Frankston in last week’s state budget, says Labor’s Dandenong MP John Pandazopoulos.
He said Dandenong received few new projects but instead “smoke and mirrors”.
Projects such as the $67.8 million Dandenong Hospital mental health centre and $10 million for a stage three upgrade at Dandenong High School, which received their final stages of funding, were “previous year’s spending”.
“There’s a lot of hidden health and education cutbacks,” he said. “There’s much less money for rebuilding schools.”
Last week, the government announced $117 million in projects for the marginal Frankston seat, held by independent and former Liberal MP Geoff Shaw.
Frankston rail line will get a $100 million upgrade to take new Xtrapolis trains. The busier Dandenong rail corridor received $25 million for more frequent peak and off-peak trains.
“Twenty-five million dollars is what they already spend on maintenance — there’s nothing new in that,” Mr Pandazopoulos said.
A Dandenong South intermodal road-and-rail freight terminal, which has received federal money, remains unfunded in the state budget. Mr Pandazopoulos said the ongoing delays for state funding would add to the project’s cost and run the risk of losing the federal contribution. He said the state government had not added to the $290 million invested by the previous ALP government in the central Dandenong ‘revitalising’ project.
With state developer Places Victoria moving out of its Dandenong office, Mr Pandazopoulos said central Dandenong was on the “hit list” for land sell-offs — an aspect “hidden” within the budget. He said vacant sites in the Dandenong CBD were less likely to be “put to market for projects” but instead be “land-banked” by developers.
Liberal South-Eastern Metropolitan MP Inga Peulich said services and infrastructure in the south-east were improved despite difficult economic times. The showcase item was a 230-bed Monash Children’s Hospital (of an undisclosed cost) scheduled to be built by 2016. The Clayton-based hospital would treat 7000 children a year, she said.
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