Good evening everyone,

My name is Aaron An, your independent candidate for Tarneit district, I’m a local resident of Williams Landing since 2012. I’m a husband, a full-time working father with a young family and a local councillor.

I have been researching the western suburbs for more than 10 years, and I have been working hard on local community issues since the 1st year we moved here.

I’m running for this state election all because of our local community. The same reason I run for the last local government election in 2016.

Our residents are suffering from the lack of schools in this area. There are residents concerning about safety, public transport, car parking around train stations. And most of these issues are state government’s responsibilities.

Melbourne’s west is one of the fasting growing regions in Australia. Over the last year, there have been more than 14,000 new residents moved into Wyndham, more than 4,600 babies born, equivalent to about 90 babies each week. The current infrastructure investments, particularly schools, cannot meet the community’s needs.

According to Schools4Wyndham, the Schools to Children ratio in Wyndham’s growth areas is only about half comparing with Greater Melbourne.

Many young families are suffering. A school in Williams Landing is already overdue, there are families moving out of this area because of this reason.

Despite local residents have raised this issue to the state government many times for many years, the state government has done nothing to address this issue. I understand there are new schools been built-in surrounding suburbs, but families in Williams Landing are not in their school zones. And how about secondary schools? The Truganina South and Seabrook Primary are already over-enrolled, and where do the children go for secondary studies?

Having a school in Williams Landing can also help to ease the other two major issues in the area:

• Road congestion, and
• Car parking around the train station

Because hundreds, if not thousands of children could just walk or take public transport to this school.

Currently, residents in surrounding suburbs are already coming into Williams Landing, either to catch the train or get onto the Prince Fwy. A school in Williams Landing is critical for us to achieve a 20 or 30 mins neighbourhood. According to 2016 census data, Wyndham’s median age was 32, the second youngest community in Victoria just after the City of Melbourne. The state government must work harder to better support these hard-working young families.

If I’m elected, I’ll be working towards a P-12 School in Williams Landing, more police in this region, better public transport, more bus more routes, duplication of Sayer Rd, more local jobs, multistorey car parks around train stations, removal of Hoppers Crossing Level Crossing in the first term and to push forward the East Werribee Employment Precinct, because we need more local jobs and better education opportunities for our local residents.

With my 10 years’ experience in all levels of government, a community-minded professional with a world view, an open mind, a vision for a world-class new west, we can work together for a much better future.

Vote Aaron An for Tarneit district. Together for a better life, a better community, a better west.

For more information, please visit: 2018.aaronan.org

Thank you.