Footscray Hospital’s redevelopment, a boost to youth mental health services and money for the Maribyrnong River and the bay coastline top the council priority list for Tuesday’s state government budget.
Maribyrnong council chief executive Stephen Wall said the Footscray Hospital emergency department needed to double in size to cope with population pressures.
“Our city has to provide for our growing population, as well as our ageing infrastructure,” he said.
Mr Wall called for financial support in implementing the River Edge Masterplan and funding to replace the Henderson House Landing, left languishing after collapsing more than a year ago.
“The Maribyrnong is Melbourne’s second largest waterway,” he said. “Funds are regularly put towards the Yarra River, but the Maribyrnong keeps missing out.”
The council is seeking more help in dealing with contaminated land, improving cycling infrastructure and upgrading social housing.
Hobsons Bay mayor Sandra Wilson said her council was calling for “serious contributions” from the state government.
“We’ve seen some pretty serious changes to our foreshore environment with increased storm surges and damage to the seawalls that historically have protected our foreshore,” she said.
“Council knows that to protect our 21 kilometres of foreshore from the predicted rising sea levels and increased storm events from climate change, we are going to have to spend $12-15 million at least over the next decade.”
Cr Wilson said residents need to be protected from a projected sea-level rise of 50 centimetres by 2070 and increasingly frequent storm events.
“That cost burden can’t fall entirely on the shoulders of the council,” she said.
The council, which provides the only free youth counselling service in Hobsons Bay, is also calling for additional services to reduce waiting lists of six weeks or more.
“More young people in Hobsons Bay experience psychological distress and psychiatric hospitalisations than anywhere in the western metropolitan region and Victoria,” Cr Wilson said.
“This can’t just be left for council to pick up entirely, which is what is currently occurring locally.”
The council is also calling for a “centrally co-ordinated approach” to transport and traffic congestion in the west.
