Statement attributable to Wyndham Mayor Cr Mia Shaw
“We are deeply concerned by the announcement from Jess Wilson and the Victorian Liberals regarding the future of the East Werribee Employment Precinct.
Wyndham has already taken more than its fair share of Melbourne's housing growth. Our population is now estimated at 363,000 and is forecast to reach half a million by 2040.
Yet only 39 per cent of our working residents are employed locally, with six in ten forced to travel outside Wyndham for work.
East Werribee was supposed to change that.
This is a watershed moment, not just for Wyndham but for the State.
All parties contesting the State election have a choice – harness the long-term economic growth opportunities this site presents for Wyndham, the western suburbs and the whole State or succumb to the sugar hit a quick sale provides and condemn another generation of Wyndham residents to long commutes and limited local opportunities.
In 2013, the former Liberal Government, with Matthew Guy as Planning Minister, promised a major employment precinct capable of delivering 58,000 jobs.
Just four years ago, the Liberals again recognised East Werribee's potential, committing to a Special Economic Zone to attract investment and create local jobs. Labor released an Opportunity Statement just a couple years ago, that spoke to the importance of jobs and manufacturing in the precinct.
Both these statements recognise the potential in this site, not just for Wyndham but for the State’s economy. Communities this size carry influence. Economies this size – currently $19.6 billion – has the potential to provide a much-needed injection to an ailing state economy.
We need certainty, investment and a clear plan for delivery, not another decade of changing plans and unfulfilled promises.
Once you sell a site like this the opportunity is lost forever.
This is not about politics. This is about the people of Wyndham and liveability, now and future generations.
Wyndham is not opposed to housing. We are already doing the heavy lifting to accommodate Victoria's population growth. But we cannot keep building homes without delivering the jobs, infrastructure and services our residents desperately need.
We've done our fair share of housing Melbourne's growth. It's time we got our fair share of the jobs.”
A Special Council Meeting will be held on 10 November 2026 at 6.30pm at the Wyndham Civic Centre at 45 Princes Highway, Werribee.