HISTORY was made last Wednesday night at the Hume City Council chambers as three councils came together to advocate for the future of the Cloverton Metropolitan Activity Centre (MAC).
Mitchell Shire Council , the City of Whittlesea and Hume City Council formed a group of nine councillors, including all three mayors and two additional councillors from each council.
The message was clear and simple throughout the night: give the people of Cloverton what they need.
Cloverton is expected to serve a catchment of up to 380,000 people, creating a significant need for housing, services and jobs in the growing region.
The catchment was compared in size to cities such as Hobart, Canberra, Townsville and Geelong.
The area spans all three municipalities, making it a major project for each council and highlighting the importance of working together.
All nine councillors at the meeting spoke to the motion, reiterating the importance of Cloverton MAC, with some saying the time was now for government to act, rather than waiting for the population to outgrow infrastructure.
Although he spoke last to the motion, Mitchell Shire Mayor Cr John Dougall emphasised the importance of the meeting.
“This is a collaboration, it’s a cooperation and we need to do this,” Cr Dougall said.
“Mitchell is about to experience huge growth, so we have a different set of challenges. It’s an emerging growth challenge and we want to be part of this journey.
“I see Cloverton as a huge opportunity for Mitchell. It can be the foundation upon which our southern community anchors its access to services. That is for jobs, healthcare, transport and a range of services.
“What we’re saying is we’re required to plan. If we are on the hook for developing and delivering community infrastructure and partnering to deliver it, then we expect, we require the state government to support us through this partnership.
“We’re talking about a catchment the size of Canberra, and for it to not have long-term planning to deliver major outcomes would be ineffective planning, and I think what we’ve heard tonight is that we have higher expectations than that.”
Hume City Mayor Cr Carly Moore highlighted the importance of the meeting, saying the councils had an opportunity to make a difference in thousands of people’s lives.
“The decisions we make today shape how hundreds of thousands of people live, work, travel and access services for decades to come,” Cr Moore said.
“With the state election approaching, now is exactly the right time to put the Cloverton opportunity before all parties and all candidates and seek a commitment from the Victorian government to actively partner with us in planning for this region’s future.
“This is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to shape the future of Melbourne’s north, and I’m pleased to support the recommendation before us today.”
City of Whittlesea Mayor Cr Lawrie Cox reflected on his experience, saying there was no time to wait for the state government.
“We need infrastructure now, not lagging 20 years,” Cr Cox said.
“That’s unfortunately been the history too often, and in the north in particular we have suffered the consequences of that.
“We talk about increasing the housing access, we talk about increasing business access, we talk about connections, we talk about delivery of community, and we fail on each and every occasion because we simply load the infrastructure too late.
“Our future relies upon that being delivered on time, preferably on time.
“We want this now. We want support from whoever achieves government in November to deliver this project on time and in place.”
The lead-up to the November state election will reveal which parties commit to supporting the project.
