Inside ambitious bid to bring Qantas to Melbourne’s West
After plans for a $31 billion “super city” in Melbourne’s western suburbs were canned, Wyndham Council has been searching for a replacement project. And now the council believes it’s found the perfect home for Qantas’ new HQ.
Victoria
Don't miss out on the headlines from Victoria. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A western suburbs council has made an audacious call for Qantas to relocate its national headquarters to the area.
The City of Wyndham wants the national carrier to consider setting up at the 400ha East Werribee Employment Precinct.
The state-owned land had been touted to host a $30 billion hi-tech metropolis called Australian Education City, but the Andrews Government pulled the plug on the project.
With Qantas indicating its reconsidering its leases in places like Sydney and Brisbane, Wyndham Council reckons East Werribee is an ideal location.
“It’s quite literally at the halfway point between Tullamarine and Avalon airports, and at the mouth of the Princes Freeway which links Melbourne to Geelong,” said the council’s director of deals, investments and major projects Kate Roffey.
“It would provide easy access for Qantas’ 5000 workers and Jetstar’s 1000.”
“And the precinct has been designated a national employment and innovation cluster – which means it’s the perfect place for Qantas to establish its new headquarters.”
Ms Roffey said the council had always argued what should be done with the prime site, which has been used for agriculture and research for a century.
“It’s a major focal point for jobs creation, in the heart one of the fastest-growing cities in Australia – we don’t want it carved up into further residential lots,” she said.
“(The government’s) Plan Melbourne identified this site as a jobs hub with potential to support more than 50,000 jobs.”
“While plans for the site have stalled, we shouldn’t give up. We need this site’s potential to be realised.”
Ms Roffey, a former Committee for Melbourne executive director, said Wyndham was already home to one of the state’s largest freight, logistics and manufacturing hubs.
“So freight movement between the two airports, the CBD, and our other major regional cities of Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat would be easy,” she said.
Legal wrangling continues over the Australian Education City plan, with the consortium behind it accusing the government of unfairly dumping the project.
QANTAS CONSIDERS MOVING HEADQUARTERS
%2C(Sent%20to%20Methode%3A%20meth01)%2C(Sent%20to%20Methode%3A%20meth01)&j=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%3D%3D){kind=link}