ROADS and health care will top the list of priorities to be discussed by local residents at a special Lalor 2020 summit.

The summit has been called by Lalor MP Julia Gillard and will be held in Hoppers Crossing next month.

Key Wyndham community leaders and members of the public have been invited to attend.

The local summit will discuss the same 10 key areas of focus as the forthcoming national summit, including productivity, infrastructure, environment, farmers, health care, indigenous Australians, the arts, national security, improving government and strengthening communities.

But the clear message for summit convenor Ms Gillard is that local residents will want tangible outcomes, particularly in the key areas of transport and health.

Wyndham mayor Kim McAliney applauded the idea behind the summit.

“I think it’s a great idea. They’re recognising the needs of our local community,” she said.

“What we’ll be doing is trying to ensure we get adequate funding for our current and future infrastructure needs. We need to get additional funding for our roads and hospitals, and there is an acute doctor shortage in Wyndham.”

Werribee South Ratepayers’ Association’s Nik Tsardakis said he hoped the summit would produce real outcomes, and would not become “just another talkfest”.

“It’s all very well to have a summit, I just question how practical these things are,” Mr Tsardakis said.

“Usually, there is a lot of outpouring of data and information but nothing concrete gets done.

“When it comes to dollars and cents everything goes quiet.

“To do anything means spending big dollars so at the end of the day very little gets done.”

Ms Gillard told Star it was important to take the views of this community forward to the Australia 2020 summit.

“While I have strong views and a vision for our area and Australia generally, I need to ensure these views are reflected by our community,” she said.





“We live in a vibrant community that is constantly evolving and changing. We need to ensure that the support structures and resources are in place.

“Investing in our local community is vital, and I’m excited about the ideas Lalor residents will have for making our area an even better place to live, work and raise a family.

“The people of Lalor are innovative, resourceful and have great ideas for future directions in the various topic areas.”

Ms Gillard will chair the working group on future directions for the Australian economy, including education, skills, training, science and innovation, as part of the nation’s productivity agenda at the Australia 2020 Summit.

Werribee Support and Housing chief executive Carol Muir said all housing agencies would be represented at the summit and it was likely a formal position paper would be submitted.

She said while her primary interest in housing would dominate her discussion, as a ratepayer and local resident she was also keen to discuss infrastructure and general government services issues.

The summit will follow a program of school summits to be held around the country, including schools in Wyndham, allowing students to contribute to the local and national debate.

Ms Gillard said it was important that local families, business owners, young people and senior citizens had a direct say in Australia’s future.

“We will achieve the best ideas for our country’s future by including as many people as possible in the conversation,” Ms Gillard said.

The outcomes of the local summit will be formally submitted to the national summit for consideration and discussion.

A spokesperson for Ms Gillard encouraged locals to attend the Hoppers Crossing summit, to be held at the Wyndham Events Centre on Friday 4 April.

“We would like to have a local focus. Some people will come with a local perspective and others with a national agenda,” the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for Tarneit MP Tim Pallas said the Minister for Roads and Ports supported Ms Gillard’s summit, however at the time Star went to press, he was yet to accept an invitation to attend.