council discusses level crossing removal plan

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The Hobsons Bay City Council meeting video is now available for public viewing. 

Click here to view the video.

If you skip to the 13-minute mark, you’ll hear Councillor Daria Kellander raising questions about the Level Crossing Removal Project. And then also skip to 1hr and 1 minute mark for further information.

What’s particularly interesting is that LXRP requested a confidentiality agreement with Council officers—a request we've since discovered has been made to all councils. Why the secrecy? 

At Hobsons Bay City Council, the relevant director refused to sign the agreement. However, two other council staff members were still required to sign in order to liaise directly with LXRP regarding the works being scheduled and the community impact.

Meanwhile, the Victorian Government has set a target of 22,500 additional homes in the area by 2050—an increase of 55% from the current number. If councils fail to deliver, they have been threatened with losing their planning powers. But with space already at a premium, where will these new homes go? 

#KeepChampionRoadOpen #InnerWestDeservesBetter #PauseTheProject #KeepOurConnection

The Level Crossing Removal Project has released detailed plans to permanently remove the Champion Road Level Crossing and the rail over at Maddox Road. Residents and businesses should be prepared for the day-to-day changes. 

The proposals outline which roads will lose parking, where trees will be removed, and provide detailed diagrams—color-coded by street—showing the work on each road and its impact. The documentation even lists the names of flora and fauna that will be affected during the construction of three rail bridges, with one bridge specifically designated for freight trains. 

These plans will be discussed tomorrow at the Hobsons Bay City Council meeting, which begins at 7 pm at the Council Offices.

For more details on how these changes might affect you and your family’s daily navigation around the Inner West, please refer to Page 95 on the 25 February 2025 Council Meeting tab via this link.

#KeepChampionRoadOpen #InnerWestDeservesBetter #PauseTheProject #TellUsTheTruth #ShowUsTheFacts

Champion Road Closure: Time for a U-Turn, VicGov!

Hey Victorian Government, in case you’re worried about looking bad for doing a 180-degree flip on the permanent closure of Champion Road, history shows that listening to the community is the right move.

Remember 2016? The planned closure of Abbotts Road in Dandenong South was scrapped after community outrage forced a backflip. If you read this article, it’s almost a cut-and-paste scenario for the businesses and residents impacted by the Champion Road closure.

Read how the Abbotts Road closure was overturned: https://heraldsun.com.au/.../e3c3b81b4d228ba22d33b0896eee...

Interesting twist? That backflip happened in Gabrielle Williams’ electorate—who is now Minister for Transport. Gabrielle Williams MP, you literally have the power to make this right for the Inner West. 

The precedent is there. The community is watching. It’s time for a rethink.

#KeepChampionRoadOpen #InnerWestDeservesBetter #RealLeadership Level Crossing Removal Project Hobsons Bay City Council Councillor Daria Kellander Melissa Horne MP Jacinta Allan Tim Watts MP

 A big thanks to Melissa Horne MP, Tim Watts MP and Trung Luu MP - Member For Western Metropolitan Region for stepping up and speaking out. 

Regardless of party lines, it's important to have leaders and advocates who actually listen and push for real change.

This isn’t actually about politics—it’s about doing what’s right for the community and we appreciate you using your platform to make sure our voices are heard. 

More of this, please!

#SpeakingUp #RealLeadership #PauseTheProject #InnerWestDeservesBetter #KeepChampionRoadOpen 

Gellibrand MP Tim Watts has voiced his opposition to the closure of Champion Road as part of the removal of level crossings in Newport, in the biggest blow to the project to date. 

Mr Watts, whose electorate takes in Champion Road, announced in a social media post on Wednesday that he opposed the Newport Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP) in its current form and urged the state government to pause work on it.

While not a federal project, Mr Watts is the most senior Labor figure to come out against the Newport LXRP which has been met with fierce opposition from the local community and Hobsons Bay council.

Phew, the Level Crossing Removal Project team must be so relieved this was announced just before they began work on the permanent removal of the Champion Road level crossing!

Perfect timing from the EPA, right? 

Does anyone remember the petrol pipeline leak from December 2006? How did it impact you?