Thursday, 26 May 2022

Ministers statements: Growing Suburbs Fund

Mr LEANE (Eastern Metropolitan—Minister for Local Government, Minister for Suburban Development, Minister for Veterans) (12:12): Today I would like to provide an update on the Growing Suburbs Fund. I am very pleased that in this year’s budget the state government delivers another $50 million to continue the great work being done through the Growing Suburbs Fund. This continues our legacy for record investment in the state’s growth areas and will deliver even more libraries, playgrounds, streetscapes, parks, community hubs and recreation centres.

Not long ago, for a previous project, I was lucky enough to join the member for Sunbury, Josh Bull, to officially open the Connecting the Sunbury Town Centre project. He is a great member. With Josh, who is a great member, I also visited the Melba Street streetscape upgrade. He is a fantastic member; he has done a lot for that area. I also managed to join Pauline Richards, the member for Cranbourne—a great member—along with Gary Maas, the member for Narre Warren South, to see the progress of the Woodbine Children’s Centre upgrade and the Cranbourne North active open space reserve project, which is an amazing active space program. I was actually blown away by the number of football pitches and play spaces—an amazing facility. I would not even call them clubrooms; it was just something better. It is a great credit, particularly to Pauline Richards and her advocacy for that part of growing Melbourne—as I said, a fantastic MP. On this side of the chamber, the one thing that the other side of the chamber—sorry, the opposition—do not understand is that we like each other. We actually like each other as a caucus. There you go. Maybe that is an aspiration— (Time expired)