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Next on the wish list

31/5/2018

10 Comments

 
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With our new high school and a hospital upgrade ticked off, Cr Clare Le Serve believes our next objective should be a rail service to Lang Lang. 

WITH the state election just six months away, several people have asked me whether I intend to stand again. In the 2014 election, I stood as an independent to try and make the seat more marginal. Bass has been a safe Liberal seat for so long that our needs were being ignored by both major parties.
 
We (I say “we” because without ​the effort from the community it would have been impossible to fight the two major parties) managed to turn that around at the last election with the Liberal primary vote falling by 10 per cent, which equalled my vote. It meant the Liberal candidate Brian Paynter had to go to preferences to win.
 
I’ve heard it said that we are being treated much better by the current government because the seat of Bass is now anyone’s to win.
 
Clearly we’ve been heard in Spring Street but we don’t want to fall into a safe seat again no matter who’s in power because we still have many issues to solve.
 
I’m still considering the options, including standing for the Upper House on a policy of improving public transport in eastern Victoria. I will stand again if I can see some advantage to the community. If I do, Bass Coast Post readers will be the first to know!
* * *
Meanwhile, what an amazing turnaround for our shire in a short time: work has started on a new high school in Wonthaggi, we’ve been promised a major upgrade of our hospital and last month the new Phillip Island health hub opened.
 
Suddenly we’re seeing the fruition of a lot of hard work over many years. It also shows how important the selection of a new CEO by the previous council was. Every council has pressing needs and worthy projects. We had been patient for far too long. It was time for a more aggressive approach to get what we deserve.
 
We now have a new team with a fresh approach and a CEO who can knock on doors in Spring Street. We have an advocacy policy and shovel-ready projects. We can go and say this is what we want and we have costed it and this is how much we have to contribute.
​The south eastern suburbs are bulging … Bass Coast is next. The growth we’re looking at in the next 20 years is phenomenal. We have to prepare for it and advocate for services we’re going to need.
 
We’ve been advocating to the State Government for schools and hospitals. To my mind the next step has to be better public transport between Bass Coast and the city. That constant drive on the Monash is wearing for all of us. Bus services are much better than they were but it’s a slow tedious journey.
 
We have to start looking at train services. We probably won’t ever get them back to Wonthaggi but we need to push to get a train to Lang Lang that could serve Phillip Island, the Waterline communities, Wonthaggi and Inverloch, and South Gippsland.
 
One of Casey City Council’s top priorities is extending the metro rail line to Clyde to serve the vast new estates, so a further extension to Koo Wee Rup and then Lang Lang is not out of the question. 
* * *
The opening of the Bass Valley C​hildren’s ​C​entre was a particular highlight for  me because this was one of my main aims when I stood for the council in 2012.
 
As a grandmother, I saw many young families in the Waterline area struggling with the need for long day care and vocational care. I had seen this in my own family over the years and here we were in 2012  and they still faced the challenges of trying to return to work or education when we had no child care other than occasional care at the Bass Valley Community Centre. 
 
The young mums set up a committee. The council at the time told them they had to raise $70,000. People told us it would take 10 years or more. Or even that it would never happen!
 
They raised $107,000 in a short period of time. If they saw a young mum in the street, they’d ask her to join the group.  A lot of them were new young mums who have moved down to the area for ​more affordable property prices​ and who really didn’t know anyone. A lot of them had skill sets and they soon had connections.
 
In the end the children's centre was a combined effort - council, community and the committee of young mums.
 
It was exciting to work with a group like that. That process taught them what they can achieve. These young women are the emerging leaders who will fight for their community.
 
That’s what it’s all about. Growing up in Melbourne you’re told not to talk to strangers. When I came to Bass I found you do the opposite. I haven’t shut up since!
10 Comments
James
2/6/2018 07:59:17 am

The other day I drove from the Eastern fringe of the Clyde development to Koo Wee Rup and it is now only 15km away. Melbourne will be here within 10 years. Remember when, only 20 years ago, Cranbourne was a satellite town of Melbourne? A railroad to Koowie at least is on the cards. There just isn't enough room on the South Gippsland Highway and Monash Freeway these days for the increased traffic. And even just getting to the Monash from Lang Lang is a 30 minute drive.

Reply
Frank W Schooneveldt
2/6/2018 08:09:58 am

Cr Le Serve,
I am so glad that you now realise that the Bass Coast is growing, is financially strong and therefore we need to put into place additional infrastructure to meet the needs of a growing Shire.
But is this growth that is now being enthusiastically talked about reflected in the Shire’s Budget forward estimates? If not why not?

Cheers

Reply
Bob
3/6/2018 12:06:39 pm

Here's a radical idea. Unlike federal and state governments lets not saddle our kids with unrepayable debt based on wildly optimistic forward estimates of growth.

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Kevin Chambers
2/6/2018 08:26:07 am

Well spoken Clare..

As much sense as it may seem to make,but I cant see the train line ever coming past Clyde..

It would be just far too expensive to do it especially with the technology required to make it work by the time it would be necessary. EG Look at how the decrepit existing signalling system slows down the existing Metro System.....

And as you proved in the last election, are there enough marginal seats between "Cranny" and Lang Lang to get the pollies attention?? Otherwise "aint nuthin gunna happen".

Stand for the Upper House???, Goodness me Clare wasn't one time enough for you and your family.??..

But more power to your "pen" if you do, for as you know in this, (moved to Melbourne house), we've nearly run out of using your 2014" how to votes" as scribble paper!!!.....

Best wishes

Kev Chambers

Reply
Phyllis Papps
2/6/2018 11:25:04 am

Cr. Clare Le Serve needs to be congratulated for having the guts and for standing as an Independent in the 2014 State Govt. elections.

She achieved a 10% vote against three major candidates. The Liberal/Coalition candidate had to go to preferences to win the seat; the ALP candidate (who was very new to the Electorate); and the Greens candidate. But I should add that their Political Party paid for all, or most of their expenses, publicity and promotion.

But what Cr Le Serve achieved was to make sure that the Bass Coast Electorate is no longer a 'Blue ribbon' safe seat. That's why the 'money is pouring in' now in terms of grants by the State Govt. FINALLY the needs of this Electorate are being taken very seriously after all these decades.

AND it certainly will be taken seriously by voters this time in November 2018 at the forthcoming State Govt. elections.

As for Cr. Le Serve's future state policy platform regarding lack of public transport in the South/East Gippsland region, I believe she has the support of many, many thousands and thousands of frustrated residents, Rate payers and holiday home owners (irrespective of age).


Reply
Max Richter
2/6/2018 02:57:25 pm

Thanks Cr Le Clare & BCP, I want to be optimistic about public transport improvements & hope the rail can extend to Lang Lang. As a side point (experienced yesterday), the vline bus seems pretty expensive nowadays, ~$53 rtn for my partner & I, & a 6-hr roundtrip, making the car less resistable.

Reply
Max Richter
2/6/2018 03:19:18 pm

p.s. apologies, that’s $66.40 return, not $53

Reply
Melissa Hayes
4/6/2018 05:34:24 am

Highly in favour of improving public transport and a train to Lang Lang. Council has an opportunity to unite with City of Casey who are lobbying hard now to get a train service to Clyde.
Commute times are a barrier for people living in Bass Shire travelling for work, and a burden on families. Hence I'm up at 5am writing this! Go Clare.

Reply
Michael Wright
4/6/2018 11:05:10 am

Totally agree with a train service to Koo Wee Rup then Lang Lang and eventually Anderson in a staged approach as growth warrants it but would need to be a Vline service (express on metro stops) not an extended Metro service (stopping all stations) to ensure time efficiency gains on a trip to Melbourne. An extended train line into South Gippsland could be the catalyst for much needed improved weekend and later night service options to and from Melbourne for South Gippsland.

Reply
Clare Le Serve
15/6/2018 05:00:39 pm

I would like to take this opportunity to thank those people who have left comments. The need for better Public Transport has been an interesting topic of debate with varying opinions. It will be a conversation that I say, we must continue to have. Regards Clare

Reply



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