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Government Delivers Responsible Budget Nationals Member for Morwell and Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business Russell Northe has welcomed the State budget as delivered by the Treasurer in State Parliament yesterday. By Russel Northe - 10th May 2012 - Back to News Mr Northe said the 2012/2013 State budget sets out a clear plan to meet the challenges and to position Victoria to take full advantage of current and future opportunities despite the difficult economic climate. The 2012/2013 budget delivers vitally important services and projects that will benefit the Morwell electorate.
"Importantly an allocation of funding has been directed towards new Multi-Disciplinary Centres (MDC) in Victoria which will assist with the integration and improvement of responses to sexual assault from an all agency perspective," said Mr Northe.
"The Coalition Government will invest in the creation of three additional Multi-Disciplinary Centres across the state, including one in the Latrobe Valley. Through the release of the final report of the Cummins inquiry into protecting Victoria’s vulnerable children it was obvious that further investment was required to tackle some of the existing issues around child welfare, particularly in the Latrobe Valley.
"The MDC’s provide for co-location of Victoria Police’s Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (SOCA) investigative teams, child protection workers, and centres for sexual assault to deliver an integrated, multi-agency response to sexual assault and child sexual abuse.
"A local working group had been previously established in the Latrobe Valley with various stakeholders for the purpose of developing an MDC locally, so to see this now be accommodated in the 2012/2013 budget will be news well received by all involved."
Mr Northe also advised that $100,000 has been allocated to Barrier Breakers to assist with their mental health advocacy services across Gippsland.
"Barrier Breakers are highly regarded in the Gippsland region for their mental health advocacy and it’s therefore pleasing that the Coalition Government is able to announce its support for such important work. This funding will greatly assist the work that Barrier Breakers undertake for the Gippsland community, including those persons with mental health issues and their family and carers.
"From a business perspective it’s pleasing to see a reduction in Work Cover premiums which will no doubt be well received from the business community. The Coalition Government will cut Work Cover premiums by an average of three per cent from 1 July this year.
"This cut will strengthen Victoria’s competitiveness to attract business investment, reduce costs for business and support economic growth. I’m sure this announcement will be very much welcomed by a number of businesses across the Gippsland region; particularly in these challenging economic times.
"Further to this the Coalition Government is engaged in a range of activities to promote the opportunities that exist in rural and regional Victoria and the $1 billion Regional Growth Fund is a key aspect of those potential opportunities.
"The Latrobe Valley Advantage Fund along with the Industry and Employment Roadmap and the Carbon Net project are substantial investments in the Latrobe Valley with a total of $60 million committed by the State Government.
russell.northe@parliament.vic.gov.au www.russellnorthe.com.au 66 George St, Morwell VIC 3840 ph 03 5133 9088 fax 03 5133 9388
"Through these programs there has already been significant investment in economic development and jobs with Latrobe Valley businesses such as Australian Paper, Gipps Aero, Hydro Australia and National Foods just some of the important enterprises supported by the State Government."
Mr Northe said the allocations within the 2012/2013 budget will build on the already established commitments for the Latrobe Valley.
"A number of 2010 election commitments have already been delivered by the Coalition within the 2011/2012 budget and we will continue deliver on those commitments in this term of Parliament.
"All in all the Budget handed down by the Treasurer is a sensible and considered Budget in difficult times. In part it’s about rebuilding the state’s finances.
"The State of Victoria was left in a financial mess thanks to Labor’s legacy. The previous Labor Government wasted billions of dollars during its 11 year reign – we have seen for example massive losses on the MYKI ticketing system, the North-South pipeline, a number of IT projects including HealthSmart and the Wonthaggi Desalination Plant.
"Added to this is the downturn in forecast revenue of GST distribution with Victoria expected to lose $6.1 billion over the next four years from 2012-2013.
"Despite these fiscal challenges the Coalition Government is determined to provide a strong economic base and a $155 million surplus in this budget demonstrates the strong fiscal management required in these difficult times."
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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