Federal Budget 2019: What it means for suburbs in Melbourne’s north

Northern suburbs residents will be some of the biggest recipients of road funding in the Budget under a Coalition push to generate goodwill. Here’s what you else can expect.

Northern suburbs will be some of the biggest recipients of road funding in the Budget under a Coalition push to generate goodwill through practical congestion-busting projects.

A major suburban roads upgrade has promised to add extra lanes to cluttered arterials while funding is also secured for major city-changing infrastructure changes.

But the north has also won out with smaller funding packages based around local communities and sports.

Here are the ways the Federal Budget is set to impact you in 2019.

WHAT THE BUDGET MEANS FOR MELBOURNE’S WEST, GEELONG

WHAT’S IN THE BUDGET FOR MELBOURNE’S SOUTHEAST

WHAT THE BUDGET MEANS FOR THE EASTERN SUBURBS

FRYDENBERG DELIVERS BUDGET FOR BATTLERS

TRANSPORT

Growing population hubs will receive targeted road relief when a suite of traffic upgrades are rolled out across Melbourne’s northern suburbs.

The $396 million Urban Congestion Fund will be supported by the previously announced $1.1 billion suburban roads package split between the north and southeast.

Gridlocked corridors will be overhauled with extra lanes to cut journey times off peak hour commutes.

The Hume Freeway will undergo a $50 million major road upgrade. Picture: Nicole Garmston

The Princes Highway has been allocated $300 million for improvements and major road upgrades will deliver $50 million each to the Hume Freeway, from Lithgow St to M80 Ring Rd, and the Calder Freeway between Gap Rd and the M80 Ring Rd.

Smaller suburban projects will improve the congested key arterials of Childs Rd, Mill Park; Sunbury Rd, Sunbury; Epping Rd, Epping; and Bridge Inn Rd, Doreen.

The Federal Government has also dedicated $1.75 billion or the North East Link and $5 billion for the Melbourne Airport Rail Link and these numbers are reflected in the Budget.

SPORTS AND COMMUNITY FUNDING

Para-athletes will receive a new home to develop their skills thanks to a $4 million pledge over two years to construct new facilities.

The hub will be based at Essendon Football Club’s site “The Hangar” which currently serves as a base for Paralympic Australia.

Another $15 million has been put aside for the redevelopment of Ikon Park in Carlton.

HEALTH

A rollout of $16 million for mental health headspace centres will be partly allocated to Whittlesea while $80 million will be used to establish a Centre of Excellence in Cellular Immunotherapy in Victoria.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Local schools will be able to apply for equipment, upgrades and new programs thanks to a new $30.2 million fund.

A push to provide universal access to four-year-old kinder will be supported by $453.1 million including money for programs to increase preschool attendance among disadvantaged and indigenous children.

Over the next five years, $67.5 million will be used to trial 10 national training hubs in areas with high youth unemployment.

A contribution of $5 million will also used at the University of Melbourne over two years to set up the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory, the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere.

Commonwealth funding for Victorian schools could increase from $5 billion in 2019 to a record $8.7 billion in 2029 if the Coalitions plan is ever accepted by Victorian Education Minister James Merlino.