By Jackson Taylor
The Boronia Breakfast program has been running since 2021 and has provided countless hot meals to locals who need it most since then. It’s more than just a meal though. The service also provides the ability to create friendships and make connections and there’s also support services that attend who directly support individuals who need it. The current service runs every weekday from 8-10am except Wednesdays and I’m proud to say the State Government has funded this since day one and have provided funding to help keep the program running for another year. A big thank you to the amazing volunteers who help keep it going!
Angliss Redevelopment
We’re also getting on with massive investment into local healthcare with an upgraded Angliss Hospital one step closer with construction now underway on stage two of the redevelopment, which will make sure people in Melbourne’s east can continue to access world-class healthcare, close to home!
Green Heart
It’s all coming together along Blind Creek, just above Westfield Knox. Waterways that’ve been piped for decades are now back above the ground, with heaps of paths and thousands of plants going into the ground. And yes – a bunch of crossings, too! Really looking forward to seeing this one complete – and it’s on track for completion later this year. Stay tuned!
North East Link
The tunnel boring machines are about to get started to build the new 6.5km tunnels which will link an upgraded Eastern Freeway through to an upgraded M80 Ring Road. The completed M80 Ring Road will have five new lanes and smart technology from Plenty Road to a new M80 interchange. The Ring Road will seamlessly connect to the new North East Link tunnels. The project will also add 45km of new lanes on the Eastern – cutting up to 11 minutes off trips into the city. And create Victoria’s first express busway. The project will also cut up to 35 minutes in your trip to the Airport.
School Saving Bonus
Covering supplies and extracurricular activities can be hard on families doing it tough. Uniforms, camps and excursions – it all adds up. That’s why we are providing a one-off School Saving Bonus to help cover the costs. This $400 bonus will help make sure our kids have everything they need for the school day, supporting families with children at government schools and families at our non-government schools who need it most. We’ll work with schools to make it available for the start of the 2025 school year.
In other news:
– Opened the new buildings at Bayswater Secondary College and Fairhills High
– Returned $50 million to Victorians thanks to over 500 million eligible containers returned
– We’re resurfaced Napoleon Rd between Kelletts Road and Glenfern Road.
Shout-out
A big shout-out this edition goes to our incredible early years educators and in some good news we’re providing small grants to help with IT equipment to seven local pre-schools.
And a big shout-out to Feed One Feed All (FOFA) – who are a ripper group of committed, passionate locals, right here in Knox, doing all they can to ensure nobody goes hungry. So it was a real pleasure to be able to join them for a tour alongside colleagues Michael Galea MP and Mary Doyle MP to learn about what they do for the community.
