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One Gippsland calls for federal election commitments to drive Gippsland's future and growth

One Gippsland urges political parties to prioritise Gippsland in the federal election, advocating investment in education, infrastructure, and energy transition to ensure long-term prosperity and ongoing benefits for local communities.

By news@gippsland - 28th March 2025 - Back to News

One Gippsland is calling on the political parties to put Gippsland front and centre as they make their pitch to the nation during the federal election campaign, which kicked off today. One Gippsland Chair Cr Nathan Hersey said with the election now called, a clear plan for Gippsland that maps the path to prosperity, not just transition, was required from our political leaders.

One Gippsland urges political parties to prioritise Gippsland, ensuring its needs are understood, supported, and central in the federal election campaign

Investing in Gippsland

Cr Hersey said, "One Gippsland has been actively engaging with all major parties over the past 18 months to ensure the priorities and interests of Gippsland are well-known, understood and supported. We have made the case that investing in education, roads, ports, better digital and telecommunications and tourism will allow Gippsland to thrive, an outcome that is crucial for our region which is at the heart of a transition towards renewable and new energy sources."

"Gippsland is an energy powerhouse. Our region has abundant natural resources which can power the nation for years to come. Our election priorities focus on what Gippsland needs to ensure the energy transition is smooth and brings on-going benefits to our communities, while also ensuring our region remains an attractive place to live, work and visit," Cr Hersey said.

"Essentially, this election we are saying to all political parties and their candidates: 'ask not what Gippsland can do for you, but what can you do for Gippsland' because this region is already doing the heavy lifting when it comes to nation building," Cr Hersey concluded.

Priorities for Gippsland

One Gippsland is calling for the next Australian government to make the following investments:

Renewables and new energy

• Gippsland Offshore Wind Community Benefit Fund
• Gippsland Offshore Wind Enabling Local Government Infrastructure Fund
• Strategic and infrastructure planning support
• Gippsland energy price reductions

Skills and education

• Gippsland Renewable Energy Precinct Project (planning) - $2.28 million
• Clean Energy Centre for skills and training - Morwell TAFE campus
• Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Training Centre - Gippsland Campus (stage two) - $3.9 million
• Expansion of TAFE Gippsland's Warragul campus - $41.5 million
• Morwell Trade Skills Uplift (stage two) - $61.4 million

Freight

• San Remo Road Infrastructure Improvements - $28 million
• Sale Alternate Truck Route - $60 million
• Leongatha Heavy Vehicle Alternate Route (stage two planning and design) - $2 million
• Drouin and Warragul Arterial Road Network (planning) - $3 million
• Traralgon Bypass (planning support)

Digital connectivity

• Prioritise Gippsland in the rollout of the Regional Connectivity Program and the On Farm Connectivity Program
• Expand the Business Fibre Zone program to include all major regional centres in Gippsland
• Enhance mobile services on VLine trains east of Traralgon
• Recognise the provision of data within the Universal Service Obligation provisions for telecommunications providers

Disaster resilience

• Recognise telecommunications as an essential service and providers be required to meet service continuity standards to prevent prolonged, widespread outages during natural disasters
• Mandate emergency roaming for all carriers with infrastructure to have at least 72 hours of back-up power
• Expand the scope of funding allocations to better support the costs incurred by local government associated with disaster response and relief and rebuilding assets
• Adopt a disaster-focused betterment funding model to support disaster recovery which repairs infrastructure to better withstand extreme events

Tourism

• Nanjet Gunaikurnai Cultural Tourism Project - $55 million
• Bass Coast Dinosaur Trail - $18 million

Items from this week's Federal Budget of interest to One Gippsland included:

• Health: $7.9 billion to strengthen Medicare, including $644.3 million to expand the Medicare Urgent Care Clinics program
• Taxation: income tax cuts over two years with the 16 per cent tax rate dropping to 15 per cent in July 2026, and again to 14 per cent a year later
• Skills: $626.9 million for the key apprenticeships program to include residential construction skills
• Housing: $800 million in additional money for the Help to Buy program, $49.3 million over two years to support states and territories to scale up existing projects for prefabricated and modular housing construction;
• Agriculture: $23.8 million over three years to sponsor agricultural trade events; and $11 million to continue efforts to reduce the burden of established feral animals, pests and weeds

Items from the Opposition's budget reply speech last night of interest to One Gippsland included:

• Health: $9.4 billion investment into health, including funding incentivise junior doctors to work as GP and boost Medicare bulk billing
• Taxation: $6 billion commitment to halve the fuel excise for 12 months
• Housing: $5 billion for essential infrastructure to get stalled housing projects underway
• Business: increase the instant asset write-off for small business to $30,000; $12,000 to support the employment of a new apprentice or trainee in critical skills areas
• Energy: $1 billion for a Critical Gas Infrastructure Fund and the introduction of an East Coast Gas Reservation to secure more gas for the domestic market

One Gippsland will maintain a register of election pledges made by the major parties during the campaign. The register, or tracker, will help people stay informed and monitor how the parties compare across One Gippsland's priority areas. It will be available on the One Gippsland website.

Pictures from Victoria's Big Build website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com