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Labor caught ripping off regional Victoria again

Jaala Pulford has been caught trying to rip hundreds of millions of dollars out of regional Victorian projects.

By news@gippsland - 16th May 2016 - Back to News

Under questioning from the Liberal-Nationals during a Parliamentary hearing today, Minister Pulford refused to confirm that more than $200 million from the sale of Rural Finance has been spent in regional Victoria as promised.

Rural Finance was sold in 2014 for around $460 million. The Liberal-Nationals provided $220 million of that money to Murray-Basin Rail, leaving around $240 million earmarked for other regional projects.

But today in a Public Accounts and Estimates Committee hearing Minister Pulford deliberately refused to identify a single other regional project that had been funded using the Rural Finance proceeds.

She also failed to clarify whether Labor’s $200 million Agriculture Infrastructure and Jobs Fund was in addition to 10 per cent of Port of Melbourne sale proceeds secured by the Liberal-Nationals for regional transport projects.

It follows months of confusion where the Andrews Government has suggested its $200 million Agriculture Infrastructure and Jobs Fund would come out of the 10 per cent.

This would mean regional Victoria would get around $700 million from the Port of Melbourne sale instead of approximately $900 million in combined funding it’s been promised.

Leader of The Nationals Peter Walsh said these were shameful attempts by the Andrews Labor Government to dud rural and regional Victoria out of money.

"The Andrews Government takes country Victorians for mugs if it thinks we won’t notice being ripped off hundreds of millions of dollars," Mr Walsh said.

"This city-centric government will take every opportunity to dud rural and regional Victoria out of money, so they can pay for their billion-dollar promises in Melbourne.

"It’s time for Jaala Pulford to come clean and explain Labor’s plans for this regional funding.

"The sad fact is that the further you live from Melbourne the less you get from the Andrews Labor Government."

Leader of The Nationals

Deputy Leader of the Coalition

Shadow Minister of Agriculture

Shadow Minister of Water

State Member for Murray Plains

Peter Walsh MP

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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