Councils put case for improvements for new Canning Federal member

AS the Canning by-election approaches, the Comment News asked Armadale Mayor Henry Zelones and Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale President Keith Ellis to put together a “wish list” of the top five things they would like the new Federal member to help them achieve and why.

City of Armadale Mayor Henry Zelones

1. Road infrastructure.

“The Federal Government has expressed its commitment to infrastructure provision. The Community Connect South project, widening Armadale Road and linking it to North Lake Road, is crucial for our community. It will connect people to jobs, reduce congestion on our roads, link to two major public transport hubs (Armadale and Cockburn train stations) and provides vital infrastructure for our growing communities. The other vital piece of local road infrastructure is relief of the Denny Avenue rail crossing.”

2. Develop a justice precinct

“While police and justice are clearly State responsibilities, this was our second priority presented to Premier Colin Barnett in March. Both the courthouse and the police facility are out-dated for a strategic metropolitan centre such as Armadale. The sooner we can receive commitment to the new police station and courthouse precinct the better, as we will then be able to plan the City’s civic precinct and the long-term future of the City centre. We would seek the assistance of the new Federal member in achieving this outcome.”

3. Tonkin Highway extension

“Fantastic new projects at the Perth Airport and further north make the Tonkin Highway the new north-south connector for metropolitan Perth and Peel. Vital to commerce, freight and jobs in our region, it is also critical to the communities in the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale and the City of Armadale – two of the fastest growing regions in WA. We need our communities to be connected both north and south.”

4. Extension of public transport

“Despite the rapid growth of the area in recent years and projected to continue for years to come, no significant new or upgraded public transport infrastructure has been provided or scheduled in the near future.

“The south-east corridor needs better public transport links, including an extension of the railway service to Byford to connect this growing area to the main centres of the metropolitan region..”

5. Recreation development

“It is becoming increasingly difficult to provide new suburbs with the quality active recreation space taken for granted by past generations. Open space is now used for drainage, water management, Bush Forever, heritage and cultural sites. We believe the Federal Government needs to recognise the health and medical savings for future generations that will be saved by investing now in active sport and participation options for our younger generations.”