By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
IT WAS the end of a 22-year era for Doveton boy and Dandenong MP John Pandazopoulos.
The former State Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Tourism, Gaming, Racing, Employment and Major Projects said he knew his time was up before he pulled the pin at November’s State Election, at the still tender age of 51.
He had left behind two sizeable footprints: the Docklands transformation and Dandenong’s $280 million revitalisation.
There was an obvious needs-based argument to boost Dandenong, he reflected.
“Without that government intervention, Dandenong would be dead.”
He likes Dandenong’s new look, its thriving food scene and the fact he can now buy a decent Greek coffee in its CBD.
Mr Pandazopoulos had already moved to Southbank and wanted to get on with community work such as recognising the 80,000 Anzacs who served in Greece in the world wars.
Dandenong now needed to keep positioning itself as Melbourne’s “second hub”, he said.
Keep promoting the right types of buildings and jobs in the town’s vacant blocks – such as IT, multilingual call-centres and financial services.
“The government needs to ensure it doesn’t move away from the reality that it’s the biggest commercial footprint outside the CBD.”
He passed the baton on to Gabrielle Williams – who maintained the seat’s safe margin for the ALP during November’s election.
