By Colin MacGillivray
ROADS, employment and the proposed Wallan quarry were among the issues debated by six aspiring members for the Kalkallo and Yan Yean electorates at last week’s North Central Review candidates’ forum.
The Review invited candidates from both electorates to speak at the forum at Wallan Secondary College, with the town set to be split between the two seats.
In attendance for Kalkallo candidates were Ros Spence, the current Labor Member for Yuroke, independent Callum French, the Animal Justice Party’s Frances Lowe and Sergio Monsalve Tobon for the Victorian Socialists.
The Yan Yean candidates were Labor’s Lauren Kathage and the Liberals’ Richard Welch.
All candidates responded to a series of pre-registered questions, with time at the end for the audience of about 50 people to ask their own questions.
An early point of contention was the completion of a diamond interchange on the Hume Freeway at Watson Street in Wallan, with both Labor and the Liberals announcing $130 million pledges to build south-facing entry and exit ramps in the past week.
Mr Welch questioned Labor’s commitment to getting the project done after not funding the project for the past eight years, but Ms Spence hit back, saying it was a ‘priority project’ and the Federal Government had delivered less than $400,000 of $50 million pledged in 2020.
Mr Welch said the funding had been milestone-based, and the State Government did not receive funding because it had yet to commence construction.
Ms Spence said there were no milestones, calling Mr Welch’s statement ‘an absolute lie’.
Ms Kathage accused the Liberals of copying Labor’s plans for the ramp, while the other candidates voiced their support for the project.
Mr French said if he was elected as an independent and held the balance of power in the Victorian Parliament, he would use his influence to make the ramps a priority, while Mr Monsalve Tobon said the only way to do it was by mobilising people on the ground.
Bypass battle
A Wallan-Kilmore bypass was also on the agenda, with Ms Lowe drawing attention to the lack of progress on the project for decades.
“If you vote for me, I’ll shout loudly and constantly to get this moving again. The regions aren’t a priority for this government, and this has to be drawn to attention,” she said.
Mr French said he believed the bypass needed to divert traffic away from Wallan as well as Kilmore, while Mr Monsalve Tobon advocated for the expansion of Victoria’s train network, taking more trucks off the road.
Ms Spence said voters had ‘made it very clear’ they wanted a Wallan bypass and she would represent their views if elected.
Anti-quarry stances
All but the Labor candidates said they would oppose the quarry, which is proposed to be built south of the town.
With a final decision about the quarry’s future resting with Planning Minister Lizzie Blandthorn, Ms Kathage and Ms Spence said they would represent the community’s views, but stopped short of saying they were against the project.
“I’m not going to make false promises that I can’t keep. My job is to make sure that the responsible minister is aware of the views of the community and I am to be a conduit. That might not be the yes or no that you want, but that’s the role that I’ve taken,” she said.
“This matter will not be determined by caucus. Cabinet will not vote on it. The responsible minister is the decision maker, so the decision maker needs to be made aware.”
Mr Welch described the quarry as ‘an open wound to the community’ but said he had sympathy for the prospective quarry operator, Conundrum Holdings.
“I agree that the company itself has done nothing but try to protect its rights, and it’s an honourable company. It’s not its fault that the world has changed before the quarry has started,” he said.
“We should not have a quarry in a residential area, and I think that’s consistent with any other policy in any other area in Victoria.
“This is one of those complex issues where you just need the grown-ups in the room to stand up and come to an amicable solution for everybody.”
Ms Lowe labelled the project ‘an environmental disaster’ that would bring dust, noise pollution and traffic congestion to Wallan.
“They are saying it will bring jobs to the area – only 29 jobs, and the effects will last for 30 years or more. What happens when we finish quarrying the rock and we’ve got a massive hole?” she said.
Mr Monsalve Tobon and Mr French also opposed the project, although Mr French said it was not an issue he would campaign on as ‘the business [had] done nothing wrong’.
Employment prospects
Large-scale employment opportunities were hotly debated, with a range of views on how best to create jobs for the rapidly growing region.
Ms Kathage said Labor initiatives such as free TAFE courses would help people gain the skills they needed to find stable employment, while Ms Spence said the government was supporting council to create employment precincts through planning.
Mr Welch favoured the building of a planned Beveridge Interstate Freight Terminal, BIFT, labelling it a ‘once-in-a-generation opportunity to create 20,000 jobs’.
“The BIFT is this region’s key opportunity for large-scale employment and drawing further capital investment to the area so the economic development continues in concert with the population,” he said.
Mr Welch said Labor’s preference for a Western Interstate Freight Terminal, WIFT, in Melbourne’s west would put the project at risk.
But Ms Spence said it was not an either/or proposition.
“There is no question that both the WIFT and the BIFT are both needed. The issue is which one happens first,” she said.
“The freight demand when they were compared against each other was higher in the west at the moment. For that freight to come to the north would involve thousands of trucks coming on the road, which would be incredibly problematic.”
Mr Monsalve Tobon said he favoured the expansion of State Government jobs in the areas of healthcare and education.
“The biggest employer in Victoria is actually the State Government. By expanding health and education and resourcing it properly, you can create a whole bunch of jobs that are well paid and stable,” he said.
