AFTER this month\u2019s State election, Bannockburn will join the Geelong electorate, and Labor candidate and current member, Christine Couzens, is seeking the growing area\u2019s vote.<\/p>\n
Ms Couzens is Geelong born and bred, and said her Shire-based campaigning is focusing on young people and families, aiming to provide spaces for them to use and enjoy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve made announcements to support the SES to move to a new location, and to support the 1st Bannockburn Scout group, who would like to renovate their facility,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know often young people miss out, so to have those facilities there is important, and I\u2019ll continue to advocate for youth services, and sporting facilities in Bannockburn.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the Geelong electorate more broadly, Ms Couzens said health is a huge focus, and a new Women\u2019s and Children\u2019s Hospital would benefit not only those in the inner-city, but in outlying areas, like the Shire\u2019s south.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople will be able to get specialised care, which at the moment, they have to go to Melbourne for,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe early parenting centre is another important regional facility which construction has started on. That will support families who are being challenged by their little ones, and it will be a residential set up for intensive specialised support with a newborn or toddler.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor mental health support on a regional level, we have the Moorabool Street community Mental Health Hub that\u2019s under construction.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn South Geelong, construction will begin on youth beds very soon, and it will enable young people with mental health issues to get treatment here in Geelong, which will make such a difference to so many families.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Labor commitment to reinstate a State Electricity Commission, which will be 100 per cent renewable, is something Ms Couzens is particularly energised about.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s also excited by the change to the Geelong electorate\u2019s boundaries, which means she gets to work with new communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very different to what it has been; urban Geelong, so there\u2019s a different focus now to some degree,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Before she was elected in 2014, Ms Couzens worked in community development, the housing and disability sectors, and was also staffer of former Member for Geelong, Ian Trezise.<\/p>\n
Having been in office for eight years, she said she\u2019s had some highlights along the way.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe redevelopment of the Geelong Arts Centre is looking pretty extraordinary with the big theatre curtain hanging over, and the commencement of the convention centre is exciting because that will bring jobs and significant economic benefits to our region,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe redevelopment of The Gordon TAFE has been extraordinary. It\u2019s a beautiful world-class facility with a state-of-the-art culinary school and the Aboriginal education centre, the Kitjarra Centre, for example.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Couzens said she hopes to have the opportunity to serve the \u201cresilient and caring\u201d community of the broader waterfront city for another term.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am so proud of the Geelong community. I want to finish what we\u2019ve started, and there\u2019s much more I want to achieve in the electorate,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AFTER this month\u2019s State election, Bannockburn will join the Geelong electorate, and Labor candidate and current member, Christine Couzens, is seeking the growing area\u2019s vote. Ms Couzens is Geelong born and bred, and said her Shire-based campaigning is focusing on young people and families, aiming to provide spaces for them to use and enjoy. \u201cWe\u2019ve […]<\/p>\n