Listen to Greens candidate Payal Tiwari discuss infrastructure, public transport, and health reforms for Kalkallo with Gautam Kapil on Radio Haanji.
The upcoming Victorian state election is set to shape the future of rapidly growing suburban communities. In an exclusive conversation on Radio Haanji 1674 AM, host Gautam Kapil sat down with Payal Tiwari, the Greens candidate for the key district of Kalkallo, to discuss her vision, political roadmap, and the mounting challenges faced by residents in Melbourne's northern growth corridor.
From corporate leadership to community advocacy, Payal Tiwari’s path into politics is anchored in practical experience and systems thinking. An engineer with qualifications in computer systems and business administration, she previously served as a director and partner across prominent consulting firms such as Deloitte. Her entry into grassroots advocacy was driven by personal resilience; following her own encounter with domestic violence, she identified critical systemic gaps facing migrant communities. She subsequently became a board director for Refuge Victoria, leading crisis accommodation and frontline support initiatives.
Realizing that short-term policy patches fail to solve deep community distress, Payal joined the Australian Greens three years ago. Following a strong federal run in Holt, where she secured third place, she is now focusing on the state seat of Kalkallo. This diverse constituency encompasses suburbs like Craigieburn, Mickleham, Kalkallo, Beveridge, and Wallan, home to an energetic and expanding Indian diaspora.
During the interview, Payal highlighted that while suburban housing development has boomed across the northern corridor, essential infrastructure has lagged severely behind. Suburbs such as Beveridge, planned to house over 112,000 residents, face critical transport bottlenecks with limited exit routes. Traffic volumes on local arteries like Donnybrook Road have skyrocketed from 2,900 vehicles per day in 2017 to roughly 35,000 vehicles daily, leaving working families stuck in prolonged commutes.
To counter these pressures, the Greens are pushing for transformative public infrastructure investments. Payal announced a $15 million Victorian Greens funding commitment toward planning and designing the long-awaited Beveridge railway station. Her platform also champions frequent and free public transport, accelerated road repairs, footpath installations, and dedicated local secondary schools to eliminate long, unsafe daily commutes for young students.
Healthcare access remains an equally urgent concern across Kalkallo. With the Northern Hospital in Epping operating as the busiest emergency department in Victoria, northern residents routinely face extensive wait times for critical and surgical procedures. Payal underscored the necessity of establishing a fully equipped local hospital within the district, alongside access to 24-hour community pharmacies to support round-the-clock medical emergencies.
Addressing broader state issues, the conversation covered rental caps, stamp duty cuts, affordable housing, and the soaring cost of living. When asked about holding the balance of power and challenging incumbent representation, Payal maintained that communities cannot afford ongoing complacency after years of under-delivery. Her campaign emphasizes proactive, accountable representation that treats outer-suburban hubs not as neglected peripheries, but as vital parts of a modern metropolitan Melbourne.
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