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Victorian government budget supports safer regional roads with $11.5M for Princes Highway East and $10.7M for Sale Alternative Truck RouteThe Allan Labor government's inaugural Budget prioritises Eastern Victoria families with investments in education, healthcare, and community initiatives, fostering a better future. By news@gippsland - 7th May 2024 - Back to News The Allan Labor government's first Budget is dedicated to helping families in Eastern Victoria. Whether it's helping with the cost of living, making sure our kids can be their best, record funding for our healthcare system or continuing to invest in more of the services families rely on - the Victorian Budget 2024/25 invests in our community. 
The Budget allocates for safer regional roads, including $11.5 million for Princes Highway East and $10.89 million for Sale Alternative Truck Route upgrades School support initiativesWith the current cost of living, covering supplies and extracurricular activities can be hard on families doing it tough. Uniforms, camps and excursions - it all adds up. That's why we are providing a one-off School Saving Bonus to help cover the costs. This $400 bonus will help make sure our kids have everything they need for the school day, supporting families with children at government schools and families at our non-government schools who need it most. Dedicated to helping cover the cost of learning essentials and the extracurriculars that make school fun - we'll work with schools to make it available for the start of the 2025 school year. We're also tripling our free Glasses for Kids program - making sure even more young Victorians can be their best in the classroom, and beyond. Having already helped 34,000 kids across our state - this investment will help 74,000 more, providing free vision screening and prescription glasses for students who need it. And because we know that learning isn't limited to the classroom, we're investing $6 million to extend our Get Active Kids vouchers - providing up to $200 to help eligible families with the cost of sporting club registration, uniforms and equipment. With this Budget, we're investing more than $1.8 billion to continue building the Education State - and building a better future for Victoria's children. School and sports investmentsWe want young Victorians to have a great local school. It's why this Budget invests in upgrading schools across our state, including - Kosciuszko Street Primary in Traralgon. This investment will deliver essential upgrades and modernise these schools - ensuring the world-class spaces kids and their hardworking teachers in Eastern Victoria deserve. But we're not just building classrooms, we're improving what happens inside them too. From extra help for teachers, to supporting more kids to finish their education - this year's Budget provides targeted investment where it matters most. That includes helping kids find their passions, with a $6 million investment in our Tech Schools. This includes immersive STEM camps for country kids and the delivery of Tech School programs through remote and flexible learning. Community sport is so important to families across Eastern Victoria. It's why with this Budget - we're investing in local clubs and facilities. That means the Dowton Park pavilion will receive $250,000. This Budget also invests a further $300,000 into the continued delivery of Basketball Victoria's High Performance Hubs - including in Traralgon. Energy and healthcare investmentsAustralia's first offshore wind turbines will be here in Victoria, creating enough power for 1.5 million homes by 2032. That's why we are investing $18.3 million to help bring this brand-new industry to Gippsland and create thousands of jobs. Only Labor governments truly invest in our hospitals - because we know what it means to Victorian families. This year's Budget includes $117 million to operate and begin expanding facilities at health services, including the Latrobe Regional Hospital, with capacity for 44 inpatient beds, 14 medical and surgical beds, a new emergency department resuscitation bay and a medical imaging pathology unit. Since we came to government, Victoria's public hospitals now employ over 5,000 more doctors, and over 13,000 more nurses. During the pandemic, when our health system was stretched like never before, we acted decisively - providing record funding to bolster our health system. Health and disaster recoverySince the pandemic, the cost of running our health system has continued to increase - but every cent is worth it to keep Victorians healthy. That's why we're making the biggest multi-year investment in our health system in Victoria's history. It'll mean our hospitals have the long-term certainty they need over the coming years. In recent months, Victorians have already experienced the cruel impacts of fires, floods and storms. In this Budget, we are continuing our support for those Victorians that have been affected by these catastrophic weather events, with $301.5 million to help them rebuild and recover. This includes repairs to schools, roads, and other infrastructure, as well as temporary accommodation, relief payments and mental health support for residents who need help to recover.
Rural and regional Victorians know how important safe and reliable roads are. It's why this Budget invests an additional $105 million to repair and maintain our roads - including those damaged by flooding earlier this year. Regional road upgradesThis Budget also includes $62 million for upgrades to make regional roads safer. Locally, that means $11.5 million to upgrade the Princes Highway East between Melbourne and the Latrobe Valley. We're also investing $10.89 million to upgrade the Sale Alternative Truck Route in Gippsland, creating better freight routes and reducing the number of trucks travelling through the town centre. Buses play an important role in our public transport network, helping to connect Victorians to work, school and each other. This Budget builds on our investments with $29.7 million to improve public transport. It'll mean better and more direct bus services, making it easier for families. Each investment is an investment in the people of Eastern Victoria. Because this is a Budget - and a government - dedicated to helping families. Eastern Victoria budgetMember for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing said, "With its first Budget, the Allan Labor government is focused firmly on helping families. Our $400 school saving bonus will cover the cost of uniforms and excursions for families across Eastern Victoria." Member for Eastern Victoria Tom McIntosh said, "With this Budget, we are helping families across Eastern Victoria, delivering the roads, healthcare, and schools that locals deserve. This Budget will make a real difference to families. Our $400 School Saving Bonus will help cover the costs of kids' uniforms and activities - giving families one less thing to worry about." Pictures from East Gippsland Shire Council Facebook page.
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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Wellington Shire Council faces rising costs, rate caps, and funding pressures, yet remains committed to delivering essential services and urging government reform to better support regional communities into the future. - Danny O'Brien criticises Labor's police station maintenance cuts despite backflip restoring partial funding for grounds upkeep
Danny O'Brien has criticised Labor's partial backflip on police station maintenance cuts, saying Gippsland officers deserve safe, clean workplaces and stronger government support amid rising regional crime rates. - David Littleproud slams Labor's 2035 emissions reduction target as costly, and damaging to families, jobs, and communities
Nationals leader David Littleproud criticised Labor's 2035 emissions target as reckless and costly, warning it would raise taxes, increase energy bills, hurt regional communities, and threaten jobs, families, and industries. - From Job expos to farms and sports awards connecting communities across East Gippsland through events and advocacy
From jobs expos to farm visits, sports awards, and community projects, recent weeks highlighted East Gippsland's talent, resilience, and collaboration, advocacy, and opportunities that strengthen local communities.
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