Gabrielle Williams

The Allan Labor Government’s first Budget is dedicated to helping families in Dandenong. Whether it’s helping with the cost of living, making sure our kids can be their best, record funding for our healthcare system or continuing to invest in more of the services families rely on – the Victorian Budget 2024/25 invests in our community. We’re continuing our hard work to build and upgrade roads across our city and suburbs. Funding in this Budget will upgrade to the intersection of Stud Road and McFees Road in Dandenong North. Improving signalisation at the intersection and creating safer connections via a pedestrian crossing to connect to nearby bus stops, Dandenong Sports Stadium & the existing Dandenong Creek Trail Shared User Path. Connecting and improving safety across Stud Road. Buses play an important role in our public transport network, helping to connect Victorians to work, school and each other. This Budget builds on our investments in public transport with $29.7 million for better services, including delivering new weekend services on the route 800 bus from Dandenong and Chadstone, helping people get where they need to go faster and more often. Every Victorian deserves the dignity and security of a place to call home. This Budget invests $1.76 million for Viv’s Place, to provide wraparound support for women and children escaping family violence. With the current cost of living, covering supplies and extracurricular activities can be hard on families doing it tough. Uniforms, camps and excursions – it all adds up. That’s why we are providing a one-off School Saving Bonus to help cover the costs. This $400 bonus will help make sure our kids have everything they need for the school day, supporting families with children at government schools and families at our non-government schools who need it most. Dedicated to helping cover the cost of learning essentials and the extracurriculars that make school fun – we’ll work with schools to make it available for the start of the 2025 school year. We’re also tripling our free Glasses for Kids program – making sure even more young Victorians can be their best in the classroom, and beyond. Having already helped 34,000 kids across our state – this investment will help 74,000 more, providing free vision screening and prescription glasses for students who need it. And because we know that learning isn’t limited to the classroom, we’re investing $6 million to extend our Get Active Kids vouchers – providing up to $200 to help eligible families with the cost of sporting club registration, uniforms and equipment. Last year, our Free Kinder program saved around 140,000 families up to $2,500 in fees, helping with the cost of living and ensuring cost was not a barrier to participation. This year’s Budget continues this investment with an additional $129 million to continue delivering Free Kinder and the statewide rollout of Three‑Year‑Old Kinder. An extra $19 million will deliver new Building Blocks grants – enabling kinders to renovate and upgrade early learning facilities. From expanding classrooms to funding native gardens, upgrading technology or transforming outdoor play spaces, these projects are an investment in our youngest learners. The Metro Tunnel will transform the way we move around our city and state. Opening next year, it will be the biggest, most transformational public transport project since the City Loop, more than 40 years ago. This year’s Budget invests more than $233 million, getting passengers ready for Day One. This includes continuing to recruit and train drivers, timetabling and signaling work, completing final testing. Community legal services do an incredible job, making sure Victorians can access the legal support they need. We’re supporting this important work with $28.8 million for community legal centres and specialist legal services – including the South East Monash Legal Service. Funding will support the service’s Sporting Change Program. This program partners with schools in Melbourne's southeast, to teach young people about the justice system and support access to justice with a school lawyer integrated into the school wellbeing team. We are also funding legal support for refugees, asylum seekers and temporary visa holders, and supporting programs that encourage community connection in their new home. And we’re backing the community organisations that provide support and connection to young Victorians – with $12 million towards the Victorian African Communities Action Plan, including $5.13 million to continue the delivery of homework clubs. Funding will also support the annual African-Australian Student Conference, which aims to bring together 350 African heritage students from schools across the state, fostering an environment of empowerment, inspiration, and career exploration. Our Big Housing Build is giving more Victorians the security and stability of a home. More than 9,200 social and affordable houses are already under construction or complete – but we know there is more work to do. This Budget includes almost $197 million for frontline homelessness services to reach and support Victorians who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. A further $19 million will improve response times for repairs and maintenance in social housing. We know how important our frontline healthcare services are for patients and their families. Since we came to government, Victoria’s public hospitals now employ over 5,000 more doctors, and over 13,000 more nurses. During the pandemic, when our health system was stretched like never before, we acted decisively – providing record funding to bolster our health system. Since the pandemic, the cost of running our health system has continued to increase – but every cent is worth it to keep Victorians healthy. That’s why we’re making the biggest multi-year investment in our health system in Victoria’s history. It’ll mean our hospitals have the long-term certainty they need over the coming years. Each investment is an investment in the people of Dandenong. Because this is a Budget – and a Government – dedicated to helping families. Quotes attributable to Member for Dandenong, Gabrielle Williams “Importantly, this Budget also delivers much-needed cost of living help for Dandenong families – easing the pressure on household budgets with our $400 school saving bonus.” “I’m really proud of the investments we’re delivering for families in our community – from better bus services to wraparound support for our newest residents.”

Keysborough kids of all ages can enjoy more fun and recreation in their newly built playground, backed by the Allan Labor Government. Member for Dandenong Gabrielle Williams today joined Greater Dandenong City Council Acting Mayor, Cr. Lana Formoso, to officially open the new playground at Frederick Wachter Reserve, made possible by a $300,000 investment from the Victorian Government’s Local Sports Infrastructure Fund. Designed with community consultation, the playground features both ‘market garden’ and ‘wetland’ themes providing engaging recreational opportunities for young Victorians, from young children through to teenagers with water and sand play zones. New equipment includes inground trampolines, a tower with two tall slides, a challenging rope climbing element, cubby play area, musical bells, timber steppers and balance logs, with sensory art and Auslan braille signage incorporated into the design. Parents and caregivers can enjoy the new park amenities including the new picnic tables and seating, with shade provided by trees and shade sails over play areas. The Victorian Budget 2023/24 is providing more than $213 million to deliver and improve community sports infrastructure and support initiatives that boost participation and inclusion in local sports. It’s part of the more than $1.9 billion invested in community sport and recreation infrastructure since 2014.  Gabrielle Williams acknowledged the City of Greater Dandenong for its financial contribution of more than $540,000 and commitment to delivering the project.    For more information about infrastructure grant opportunities available through the Victorian Government visit sport.vic.gov.au     Quotes attributable to Member for Dandenong Gabrielle Williams “It’s fantastic to see the new Frederick Wachter Reserve playground complete and ready for locals to enjoy.” “This new playground was designed with the community, for the community – it’s multi-level and accessible with plenty of opportunities for imaginative and creative play.” “We’re supporting local councils to deliver inclusive and exciting playgrounds, helping to boost liveability and support our growing communities.”

The future is bright for Dandenong footballers, thanks to an upgrade of sports lighting at George Andrews Reserve, backed by the Allan Labor Government. Member for Dandenong Gabrielle Williams today joined City of Greater Dandenong Acting Mayor, Cr Lana Formoso and the Dandenong Thunder Football Club to officially mark the start of the upgrade works, which received a $200,000 investment from the Labor Government. George Andrews Reserve is a popular Dandenong football hub and is the home ground of National Premier League team Dandenong Thunder and their development programs. Works at the reserve include installing 500 lux LED lighting on the main pitch, bringing the facilities up to professional competition, and broadcast standards, giving the Dandenong Thunder an opportunity to play in front of a wider audience. Improved lighting will also increase playable hours at the reserve and give the club a chance to get more locals laced up, on the field and enjoying the health and wellbeing benefits of taking part in the World Game. The Victorian Budget 2023/24 is providing more than $213 million to deliver and improve community sports infrastructure and support initiatives that boost participation and inclusion in local sports clubs and organisations. It’s part of more than $1.9 billion invested in community sport and recreation infrastructure since 2014. Ms Williams acknowledged Greater Dandenong City Council for its investment of more than $500,000 and its commitment to delivering the project. For more information about infrastructure grant opportunities available through the Victorian Government visit www.sport.vic.gov.au Quotes attributable to Member for Dandenong Gabrielle Williams “George Andrews Reserve is the home of elite football in Dandenong, and I’m very pleased to see we’ll soon have the necessary infrastructure to broadcast our players to a wider audience.” “Dandenong Thunder Football Club is a mainstay of the National Premier League Victoria, and it’s only right that they are able to host and broadcast games from their home grounds here at the reserve.” “Improved lighting also means more playable hours at the reserve, and more opportunities for our community to enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits of getting involved with community sport and recreation.”

Dandenong’s newest sports pavilion will help even more footballers and cricketers take the field, thanks to support from the Victorian Government. Member for Dandenong Gabrielle Williams today joined City of Greater Dandenong Mayor, Cr Eden Foster, AFL Victoria, the St Mary’s Cricket Club and St Johns Old Collegians Football Club to officially open the WJ Crowe Pavilion, supported by $500,000 from the Victorian Government. Works at Thomas Carroll Reserve included demolishing the previous pavilion and replacing it with a modern, female friendly and accessible sporting facility. The pavilion includes new multipurpose social and meeting rooms. These are perfect for hosting club or community functions and will cement the new pavilion as a modern community sports hub in Dandenong. The pavilion now also offers four female friendly change rooms, two umpires’ change rooms, a timekeepers’ room, canteen and accessible public toilets. These upgrades mean that the Saints and Old Collegians can welcome more participants into their programs, offering them a home ground to get the most out of their game. The Victorian Budget 2023-24 is providing $213 million to deliver and improve community sports infrastructure and support initiatives that boost participation and inclusion in local sports clubs and organisations. It’s part of the more than $1.9 billion invested in community sport and active recreation infrastructure since 2014. Gabrielle Williams MP acknowledged Greater Dandenong City Council and AFL Victoria for their commitment and respective contributions of $5.4 million and $100,000 to the pavilion. New sports lighting is also on the way for the reserve’s eastern oval thanks to another Victorian Government investment of over $129,000. For more information about how the Victorian Government is funding community sport, visit sport.vic.gov.au/grants-and-funding. Quotes attributable to Member for Dandenong Gabrielle Williams “With the completion of the WJ Crowe Pavilion, we’re bringing two local clubs under one roof and making Thomas Carroll Reserve an exciting sporting hub for the community.” “These new facilities will mean the Saints and the Old Collegians can expand and develop their programs to get more people, particularly women and girls, in on the action.” “Facilities like these make it easier for Victorians to get involved, connect with others, and be active as they take part in community sport and recreation.”

The Andrews Labor Government is ensuring women of all cultural backgrounds experiencing family violence can access the help and support they need, with $788,000 in funding going to Wellsprings for Women to support women experiencing family violence in Melbourne's south east. The funding is part of a $117 million package to support victims of family and sexual violence and perpetrator intervention programs announced in the Victorian Budget 2023/24 and builds on the Labor Government’s record investment in the prevention of family violence. The funding increase to Wellsprings for Women will enable the organisation to continue supporting migrant, refugee, and asylum seeker women who are experiencing family violence. It builds on the funding the organisation received through the Supporting Multicultural and Faith Communities to Prevent Violence grant program. Last year, the Labor Government established a Multicultural Working Group to help improve family and sexual violence responses for multicultural communities, providing a state-wide platform for cross-sector dialogue between community leaders, multicultural, ethno-specific, faith-based community organisations, and specialist family and sexual violence organisations. This year’s Budget boost to Wellsprings for Women cements the organisation’s role in providing vital support in Melbourne’s south-east for multicultural women experiencing family violence. Victoria is leading the nation with its work to end family violence, having invested more than $3.7 billion since the Royal Commission into Family Violence – more than every other state and territory combined. Quotes attributable to Minister for Prevention of Family Violence Ros Spence “It’s critical that support is provided to women experiencing family violence, regardless of their culture or faith. This funding will enable Wellsprings for Women to continue this vital service to the community.” “The Andrews Labor Government recognises that women of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds often have different needs, and we’re here to support them.” Quote attributable to Member for Dandenong Gabrielle Williams “Wellsprings for Women is a fantastic local organisation, and this funding will enable it to continue its vital work in Melbourne’s south-east.”

The Andrews Labor Government is building more modern V/Line VLocity trains right here in Victoria – keeping passengers moving across the state and allowing more trains to run around regional Victoria, more often. Premier Daniel Andrews, Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll joined Member for Dandenong Gabrielle Williams to visit the Alstom factory in Dandenong South – where a further 23 VLocity trains will be built, supporting around 500 local jobs. The extra VLocity trains form part of a $601 million investment in the Victorian Budget 2023/24 to improve capacity on Victoria’s busiest regional lines as regional Victoria grows, and to respond to demand for the Labor Government’s fair regional fares initiative – capping V/Line services at the same price as a daily metropolitan fare. The Labor Government is progressively rolling out the VLocity trains onto the network to replace V/Line’s older classic feet, providing passengers with a more modern, reliable and efficient journey. Each VLocity train has six accessible spaces per three-carriage set and includes comfortable seats for long-haul journeys, a dedicated storage area for bicycles and accessibility improvements. In a boost for those heading west, these VLocity trains will increase capacity on the Melton line – allowing nine-car train sets to run to boost capacity on the line by 50 per cent – as well as ensuring locals on the Geelong and Bacchus Marsh lines travel in comfort. There are already more than 100 VLocity trains in service – and works on this order will get underway at the factory next year, once the order of 12 VLocity trains from the Victorian Budget 22/23 is complete. All of our investments in rolling stock also support local maintenance jobs – with an additional 100 maintenance workers at Alstom Ballarat, who will maintain these new trains once they are on the network. The Labor Government is transforming the way Victorians travel across the state, with passengers already saving around $8 million since the introduction of the regional fare cap. Since 2014, the Labor Government has invested more than $9 billion into rolling stock and supporting infrastructure, supporting around 10,000 local jobs directly and throughout the supply chain. Quote attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews “We promised to build new VLocity trains in Victoria, for Victorians, and that’s exactly what we’re doing – making it easier for passengers to travel across our state, as well as supporting hundreds of local jobs and strengthening our economy.” Quote attributable to Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll “We’re continuing to make critical public transport investments where they’re needed most – building these 23 new VLocity trains will not only keep Victorians moving, but also back local jobs.” Quote attributable to Member for Dandenong Gabrielle Williams “A boost for local manufacturing means a boost for local jobs. And that’s what we’ve delivered with an order of more V-Locity trains from Alstom, made right here in Dandenong. This investment supports 500 local jobs, and a great product for Victorian commuters.”

The Andrews Labor Government is getting on with delivering on its election promises for our community - investing in what matters for the people of Dandenong.     We haven’t wasted a day delivering the services and projects that matter to Victorians. With the Victorian Budget 2023/24, we’re getting on with doing what we said we’d do.     Every Victorian should be able to get the healthcare they need, when they need it, close to home. That’s why we’re investing in an upgrade to the Dandenong Hospital.   This Budget will get started on service and capital planning and early works, to ensure the new and upgraded facilities meet the needs of our growing south eastern suburbs.  Victorians remember the State Electricity Commission (SEC): it meant a fair deal on your power prices and good, stable jobs for workers.       That’s why we’re bringing it back – to drive down power bills and create thousands of jobs in renewable, government-owned energy.       An initial $1 billion investment in the SEC will help deliver 4.5 gigawatts of power – the equivalent replacement capacity of Loy Yang A – through renewable energy projects.      Bringing back the SEC won’t just mean more renewable energy, lower power bills and reduced carbon emissions – it’ll also help create 59,000 jobs.   As part of a more than $2 billion investment in schools across Victoria, this year’s Budget includes $116 million to open six new cutting-edge Tech Schools, including one in Dandenong.   We know many apprentices scrimp and save as they start out in their careers. But when you rely on your vehicle to do your job every day, costs can quickly add up. We’ll ease the cost of living pressure for our hard-working apprentices, making rego free – saving eligible trade apprentices up to $865 every year.  With 90 per cent of a child’s brain developing before the age of five, early education has the most profound impact on how our kids develop.   That’s why we’re delivering Free Kinder for three and four-year-olds, establishing Pre-Prep, and upgrading or providing new equipment to kinders across the state to make sure Victorian kids can get the best start for the best life.  We’ll give more families across Victoria access to local, affordable childcare – investing to establish the first of 50 government-owned and operated, affordable integrated childcare centres, which will open in 2025.  Women and girls make up half more than half of our population – but for too long, their healthcare concerns have been seen as a niche issue.   We’ll invest more than $153 million to establish 20 new women’s health clinics, an Aboriginal-led clinic and a mobile health clinic, nine new women’s sexual and reproductive health hubs, scholarships to expand the women’s health workforce, an inquiry into women’s pain management and 10,800 extra laparoscopy surgeries.  CFA volunteers work hard to keep our community safe. We’ll make sure they have the facilities and equipment they need to stay safe, too. We’re investing in planning for an upgrade of Keysborough Fire Station so our hardworking volunteers can continue keeping Victorians safe.  We’ll keep backing the successful Noble Park Suburban Revitalisation program, building on previous funding that has already seen improvements to the Noble Park Community Centre, better lighting and public seating, tree planting and the popular “Noble Park Big Day Out” festival.  Community events like the Tamil Festival Australia help Tamil Victorians stay connected to their culture, traditions and heritage. We’ll support the Tamil Festival with an investment of $100,000 per year for the next four years.  Every community deserves great spaces to come together to celebrate and share in culture and tradition. We promised to build, upgrade and renovate community infrastructure and we’re doing just that right across Dandenong and the South-East, including:  $400,000 towards the establishment an Albanian Community Centre in the South East  $250,000 towards the upgrade of the Antiochian Community Support Association’s community kitchen  $750,000 for upgrades to the Victorian Tamil Association community centre and carpark   We’re also investing $5 million towards two Indian community centres – one in the western suburbs and the other right here in the South-East.  We’ll keep backing the community organisations that provide care, support and services to help Victorians when they need it the most.   Locals know what a massive contribution groups like South-East Community Links and Community Abundance make to our community, and we’re backing each with $100,000 grants.  These are the things that matter – and the things we promised to Victorians.   And with this Budget, we’re getting on with delivering every election commitment we made at the last election.   Quotes attributable to Member for Dandenong Gabrielle Williams   “Our South Eastern suburbs are booming, and our local hospitals need to keep pace. The commencement of Dandenong Hospital Upgrades is the first step to ensuring locals get the quality care they need, closer to home.”