By BRIDGET SCOTT
Strap: Will international flights take off at new airport?
CARDINIA Shire’s CEO says the new airport planned for the south-east may add international terminals to its domestic facilities.
At his annual CEO address last Wednesday 3 September, Garry McQuillan mentioned three future economic drivers for the shire.
One of these was the airport proposed for the area between Kooweerup and Lang Lang.
It would be Melbourne’s third airport and a major employment opportunity for people in the area.
Mr McQuillan said the shire played a major role in having the airport included in ‘Plan Melbourne’, with extensive economic research undertaken.
He also said the airport was expected to happen sooner rather than later.
“When we first undertook this we thought this was a project perhaps 15-20 years away,” he said.
“We also thought it was more for the domestic market.”
However Mr McQuillan said following talks with Plan Melbourne, arrangements had changed.
“We are confident now of the potential reality that maybe (it will be) earlier than we anticipated, and potentially an international airport,” he said.
He said it was also likely to become a freight export hub.
“The important thing about the airport is that it creates 20,000 jobs,” he said.
“This is the major economic driver we will be looking to create over the next four years.”
Mr McQuillan also mentioned two other future economic drivers for the area – the Port of Hastings and the Bunyip food belt.
He said the Cardinia Shire was currently experiencing a “population driver economy” and expected this to continue into 2030.
He added that the Port of Hastings issue was important to watch, with both Labor and the Coalition announcing policies on the project.
“There is a lot of land and infrastructure to establish things there,” he said.
He described the port as another major employment opportunity and said he hoped for announcements regarding the Bunyip food belt in the lead-up to the state election.
“In the last 12 months there have been some major projects that we continue to grow,” he said.
He said the recent opening of Nine Mile Fresh in Tynong would create around 100 jobs, as the largest apple supplier in the Southern Hemisphere.
Mr McQuillan also touched on the opening of many new businesses around Pakenham, including those along Bald Hill Road and the Car Mega Mart.
About 100 people turned out for the address last week, with Mr McQuillan holding high hopes for the future of Cardinia.
See page 68 for more coverage of the CEO’s address.
