Ravenhall top Kororoit election issue

STOPPING, relocating or shutting down Boral’s Ravenhall expansion is at the top of the agenda for Kororoit’s five state election candidates.

The Melton/Brimbank community it celebrating Melton Councils decision to refuse Boral's application to expand its landfill. Marion Martin and Sean McAlpine Jones has spearheaded Stop the Tip campaign. Picture: Adam Elwood

STOPPING, relocating or shutting down Boral’s Ravenhall expansion is at the top of the agenda for Kororoit’s five state election candidates.

But not everyone is aware of how the proposed plans are proceeding.

Despite being against the expansion, Greens candidate Philip Hill was a little confused when he spoke with the Leader, stating the application from Boral is currently before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) and he is awaiting a decision.

But Boral’s original application, rejected by Melton Council on May 27 this year, was in fact abandoned. Boral never took the application to VCAT. Instead they plan to submit a new application later this year.

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Labor has announced that if elected it will call in any application Boral submits to Melton Council, while Liberal candidate Goran Kesic said he was looking to Europe for ideas on how to minimise waste, relocate the tip and redevelop the area into factories.

Vocal community group Stop the Tip has called on first-time independent candidate Margaret Giudice to fight their fight in government, and she warned she wouldn’t back down.

All candidates jumped on board the call for more secondary schools in the electorate, while public transport, or a lack of it, is a hot topic on everyone’s political platform.

Paula Rizzo, Gabriela Pena Roshier, Sally Cefai and Eva Fattore with petitions for a new school at Caroline Springs.

The key issue for Voice for the West candidate Shashi Turner was that the west has no voice, which needs to change; while for Ms Kairouz it was jobs, health, education and transport.

Building the Caroline Springs train station and creating jobs were at the top of Mr Kesic’s list of issues, and for Mr Hill it was all about getting the railway line electrified to Melton and giving residents the option of not using their environmentally damaging cars.

Other issues raised included connecting Kororoit to the Calder Freeway, improving infrastructure to meet development, increasing police numbers and engaging youth in education.