General News
27 May, 2023
Road funding among biggest losers: Kealy
A disappointed Emma Kealy said road funding and regional development were among the biggest losers in the state budget with road maintenance already "slashed" from $702 million to $441 million in the past year. The Member for Lowan said life was...
A disappointed Emma Kealy said road funding and regional development were among the biggest losers in the state budget with road maintenance already "slashed" from $702 million to $441 million in the past year.
The Member for Lowan said life was "only going to get harder for regional communities" as the state government moved to address its mounting deficit.
“Regional Victoria is still not getting its fair share of funding," she said.
"There is virtually no funding for new capital projects in the Lowan region, with most projects in yesterday's budget having been previously announced, and now funding is being drawn out over several years."
Ms Kealy also was angry at what she called the "kicking down" of the Western Highway duplication, "a key project that so many people across the region desperately want to see, just to get it done.
"It's very concerning," she told The Horsham Times.
"Every time we hear there has been an accident on the Western Highway, it just makes me think that we could have had a much safer road."
Ms Kealy also highlighted the $232.5 million budget cut to the agriculture sector.
"Now that's going to bring the number of field officers back to a level where they simply won't be able to undertake their routine requirements, let alone have the capacity to deal with some of these major hazards we know are just on our horizon," she said.
"There is also a big question mark over the risk of local jobs, and how these budget cuts will impact local people and local jobs."
Regional development funding has also been cut by 80 per cent.
"We have now got to a point where Regional Development Victoria have had their funding allocation cut back in previous years, which is allocated to councils to help attract people, and grow and create jobs," she said.
"That money has gone, so there simply won't be the staff for councils to work together and develop ideas to help grow our region and grow jobs."
Member for Mallee Anne Webster echoed Ms Kealy's rebukes over road funding saying a review of programs such as the road safety Black Spot Program and Roads to Recovery could force a further increase on council rates to maintain their upkeep.
“This budget has been a litany of disasters for Mallee," she said.
Horsham's St Brigid's College, the Murtoa early learning centre and Taylors Lake were among local beneficiaries of funding packages,
Older Victorians will benefit from funding for community participation programs, elder abuse prevention programs, and a fourth round of the $250 Power Saving Bonus program.
The state budget's major takeaways - as part of its 10-year plan to recoup losses from Covid - will see big business and multiple property owners bear the brunt of new tax measures.
"The centrepiece of this package is a landmark reform to abolish stamp duty for commercial and industrial properties in a transition to an annual property tax," the government said in a statement.