By Esther Lauaki
Melton is in the midst of a baby boom with up to 52 babies, the equivalent of more than two-and-a-half prep classes, born into the municipality each week.
Population forecasts from Melton council earlier this month showed the highest birth rate since 2013. In the past six years, baby arrivals have jumped from an average of 42 births a week in 2013, to 44 in 2018 and more than 50 this year.
Mayor Bob Turner said the city’s population is set to soar from 164,984 to about 500,000 in the next 30 years. He said while it was exciting to see the number of young families in Melton grow, state and federal investment would be critical to successfully accommodating the growth.
“Fifty-two babies every week equates to a staggering service and infrastructure demand,” Cr Turner said. “This level of growth is no surprise to council, which is why we have been advocating the state and federal governments.
“Recent state government commitments for the City of Melton to develop a hospital business case, build new schools, and provide permanent kinder funding are just the sort of investments we need.
“The City of Melton is already the fourth fastest-growing area in Australia and by 2022, we’ll be the fastest growing area in Melbourne’s west.
“The City of Melton can accommodate this growth in a positive way, but only if the state and federal governments continue to make Melton an investment priority now and in the future.”
