Around 30 residents attended Bunbury MLA Don Punch’s first community meeting on Saturday focusing on infrastructure.
An array of topics were discussed including the future of the Bunbury Port, options around moving the train line, blackspots in telecommunications, TAFE fees and the Bunbury Outer Ring Road.
Mr Punch said he thought it had gone well.
“I think it was a really positive discussion, people shared their ideas, the feedback was great and overall it showed me we are generally on the right track but there are a few local issues that people are concerned about,” he said.
“I had an overall sense that people are quite happy with the way things are going
“The outer ring road came up as an issue – the terms of reference for the purpose of the community reference groups needs to be reinstated so that everybody understands what the purpose of the CRG is.
“It is the responsibility of Main Roads to hear local peoples ideas about how roads might best suit the community.
“Local people also have to respect the responsibility that Main Roads have and I’m not sure that that is occurring at the moment.”
Communtiy member Keiran Noonan attended and said he thought it was a good initiative that more MP’s should do.
“It gives Don the opportunity to go back to parliament and various departments with questions, with ideas, looking at ways to improve the infrastructure that we have,” he said.
The next meeting will be held on February 23 at the Girl Guides Hall on Mary Street from 1pm and will focus on health.
Mr Punch encourages community members to attend and said it was a good opportunity to have conversations and clarify what was happening in Bunbury.
“I think it’s a great way of keeping people informed and staying connected, as a local member it’s really incredibly important for me to be grounded in the community and understand the community’s views,” he said.
To attend the meetings, register by contacting 9791 3636.
