GSEM urges State Government to help create 22,000 local jobs
Greater South East Melbourne has made a submission to the Victorian Planning Authority urging government support for the creation of 22,000 new jobs at Officer South in Cardinia.
The Greater South East Melbourne (GSEM) submission said proceeding with the Officer South Precinct Structure Plan would create 22,000 much-needed jobs closer to home for residents of southeast Melbourne as well as see the construction of 1,600 new homes.
The proposed Thompsons Road upgrade and extension would pass through the the Officer South Employment Precinct and the upgrade and extension would be needed for the precinct to be fully developed and to deliver the projected 22,000 jobs, GSEM said in its submission.
There are many skilled workers in the region not able to find jobs at their qualification levels, the submission noted. The proposed precinct should be developed to attract high-value high-skill industries that can bring a wider range of employment opportunities to the southeast, especially for women.
The submission said the “significant precinct” covers an area of about 1,069 hectares.
It is bound by Cardinia Creek to the west, the Princes Freeway to the north, Lower Gum Scrub Creek to the east and the Urban Growth Boundary to the south.
GSEM welcomed a staged approach while strongly advocating that any staging should be flexible and prioritise the development of industrial land.
GSEM noted that a large proportion of workers leave their local government area each day for work, with most travelling by car. This has major negative impacts on individual health, family life, the environment and productivity.
The statistics are staggering: 84% of workers leave Greater Dandenong, 90% leave Casey and 91% leave Cardinia each day for work by car.
A recent report by the Victorian Skills Commissioner found that the South East Melbourne region is the largest and fastest growing among the six metropolitan regions that make up Melbourne’s economy. The GSEM region has more than 500,000 jobs and 83,500 businesses.
The region is a key economic driver for the Victorian economy with industrial and jobs precincts located in Monash, Dandenong, Frankston, Knoxfield, Braeside and Carrum Downs. These key employment precincts are at or nearing capacity, with many businesses now unable to expand or forced to look elsewhere for their growth plans, the GSEM submission pointed out.
The demand for more land and expansion opportunities are pressing. The Officer South Precinct has the potential to provide the capacity for expansion in a way that is complementary to the current precincts in the region and other infrastructure investment that is underway, GSEM said.