The Andrews Labor Government has demonstrated its utter contempt for the Latrobe Valley and regional Victoria with a brutal State Budget that has slashed millions in funding from key areas including health, roads, emergency services, agriculture and community infrastructure.
The regional development budget has again been cut, halved from $211.5 million to $106.6 million in this year’s budget. Since 2020, it has been slashed by 80 per cent.
Victoria’s debt is projected to climb to $171.4 billion by 2026-27 and interest payments to more than double to $22 million a day, and regional Victorians are footing the bill.
The Nationals Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron said under Labor, Victoria is broke, life is getting harder and regional Victorians are being punished for the Andrews Government’s incompetence.
“Regional Victorians have once again been left high and dry under a catastrophic Labor budget that has slashed more than $260 million in road maintenance funding for an already crumbling network, including in the Valley where notoriously unsafe roads have cost lives.
“Labor claims it wants to treat people with mental health issues before they reach a level of acute crisis, yet it appears pleas to increase funding for Lifeline Gippsland have fallen on deaf ears. Calls to Lifeline’s 24-hour crisis line have skyrocketed 45 per cent, yet this increased demand has not been met with adequate funding.
“It seems our local CFA brigades have also been snubbed. The Tyers CFA is no longer fit for purpose and volunteers are forced to house their rapid response 4WD vehicle offsite some 20 kilometres away due to a lack of room at their shed, but Labor hasn’t seen fit to equip our selfless volunteers with the basic amenities so they can continue to protect our communities.
“For nearly two years the change rooms and canteen at the Traralgon Recreation Reserve have stood frozen in time as the Andrews Government has been unable to fund the demolition and rebuild of the facility. Today’s budget makes no mention of any additional funding – funding that is critical to getting these facilities up and running again for the community and the reserve’s seven user groups.
“All this comes on a day where Labor has sounded the death knell for our sustainable local timber industry with its ill-considered decision to bring forward the end of native logging, and the $200 million compensation package is woefully inadequate.
“This decision, and the abject failure that is the 2023-24 State Budget, will cause untold pain for thousands of people across the Latrobe Valley and regional Victoria.
“Hardworking families across the Valley have today been punished by Labor’s financial incompetence.”
