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Regional Victoria must benefit from state budget

2020-21 Victorian State Budget should lay out a plan to restore Victorians’ lives and livelihoods.

By Portal Admin - 30th November 2020 - Back to News

Next week’s 2020-21 Victorian State Budget is a critical chance to lay out a plan to restore Victorians’ lives and livelihoods. The lessons of 2020 have created unique opportunities for regional Victoria. Enforced working from home has shown us it’s possible to have a job in the city, while living in the country.

Investments in schools, hospitals, roads and rail is the key role the service has played in assisting the people to recover from the impacts of drought, bushfires and the coronavirus pandemic

Bigger fund to push decentralisation

To encourage decentralisation, The Nationals have been pushing for a $250 million fund to be implemented in this year’s State Budget. The fund would support businesses and government agencies to permanently transform operations to allow their staff to work from home more often and live where they want to.

Delayed projects

Supporting country communities to grow is a game changer for creating new, secure jobs and boosting investment in services, like health and education. This year’s Budget must also invest in better roads and rail for regional Victoria. Under the Andrews Labor Government progress on projects, the following projects has stalled or is now miles behind schedule:

• Ballarat Western Link Road (Stage 2)
• Kilmore Bypass
• Princes Highway (west of Colac) upgrade
• Shepparton Bypass

Other projects, like the transformational Murray Basin Rail Project, have become a disastrous mess of cost blowouts that now need significant investment to fix Labor’s mismanagement. We can’t afford to wait years for bold ideas to revitalise our communities. Next week, we need action and investment in a realistic way forward that drives confidence and growth for regional Victoria.

Pictures from Railway Technology website.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: support@gippsland.com