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Melina Bath slams Allan Labor government over soaring state debt and cuts to core regional services

Nationals MP Melina Bath condemned Labor's financial mismanagement, citing Victoria's $194 billion debt, rising taxes, delayed infrastructure, and service cuts, while pledging to refocus on rural and regional core services.

By news@gippsland - 25th June 2025 - Back to News

The Nationals' Melina Bath has highlighted in state parliament the escalating state debt and financial mismanagement by the Allan government in her budget response. Ms Bath said Victoria's debt will reach an alarming $194 billion in the next two years, with interest payments alone costing Victorians $1.2 million an hour.

Melina Bath said Victoria's soaring $194 billion debt and 60 new taxes under Labor are stifling services, investment, and jobs, unlike NSW and Queensland

Taxes up, services down

Ms Bath said, "In 10 years, Labor has introduced 60 new or increased taxes while neglecting core services such as hospitals, ambulances, education, policing, and roads. Victoria is now the highest taxed state in Australia which has put the handbrake on investment and manufacturing."

"Projects like San Remo Primary School, and Drouin Secondary School keep having their completion dates pushed back, while the timeline for the West Gippsland and Wonthaggi Hospital Stage 2 are beyond the horizon. Road maintenance is almost non-existent - last year the government target was to patch 1,033,000 square metres of road, but it achieved only 70,000 square metres."

"Crime is continuing to rise, police are under-resourced and ambulance response times in eastern Victoria are extremely concerning. The new Emergency Services tax will raise an extra $3 billion and will see all households and businesses paying more, yet Labor cut funding to Fire Rescue Victoria by $115 million, the Country Fire Authority by $42 million and the SES by $8.4 million," said Ms Bath.

Misused emergency funds

Ms Bath said transparency had gone out the window with Labor misusing $12 billion in Treasurer's Advances to pay for its financial mismanagement. "Treasurer's Advances are savings for natural disasters, but Labor has used them to pay for everything from its Commonwealth Games bailout to maintaining fire breaks.

"The next state election is in November 2026, and The Nationals' attention is on fixing core services, and placing a focus back on rural and regional Victorians," she said. You can view Melina Bath's contribution via Hansard Debates website.

Pictures from Melina Bath MP Facebook page.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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  Wellington Shire Council is backing Rural Councils Victoria’s campaign for greater investment in rural infrastructure, including roads, community facilities and a proposed $1 billion regional productivity and growth fund.
• Gippsland secures $288M country roads and bridges commitment under national government
  The Nationals will restore the Country Roads and Bridges Program, providing Victoria's 48 regional councils $1.5 million annually for four years to repair roads, bridges and local infrastructure.
• Gippsland Water invests $3.4M renewing ageing water and sewer infrastructure across regional communities
  Gippsland Water invested $3.4 million renewing ageing water and sewer assets, replacing 3.9 kilometres of water mains and relining 6.2 kilometres of sewer mains across Gippsland.
• Heyfield childcare faces closure after losing federal funding, putting local families, educators and essential community services at risk
  Heyfield's only childcare service faces closure after losing $270,000 in federal funding, prompting Darren Chester to seek urgent assistance while a Senate inquiry examines rural and regional child care access.
• Five additional VLocity train sets to boost Gippsland Line capacity and ease crowding as the Nationals commitment
  The Nationals will add five VLocity train sets to Gippsland services, providing 1,110 extra seats and enabling longer trains during peak periods to ease overcrowding on Traralgon and Bairnsdale services.
• Danny O'Brien calls for urgent action on ongoing Gippsland power outages impacting residents, businesses and critical services
  The Nationals' Danny O'Brien is calling on the Victorian government to demand answers from electricity providers over repeated Gippsland outages disrupting residents, businesses and critical medical equipment.
• Working together to secure East Gippsland's water future through integrated water management
  East Gippsland CMA and regional partners are collaborating through Integrated Water Management to address climate, flooding, population growth, stormwater, recycled water and wetland protection challenges while planning sustainable projects.