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State Budget reply speech from Peter Walsh - Appropriation (2021-2022) Bill

Taxes rising in regional Victoria, but not all projects being accomplished, making Victorians disappointed in the budget.

By news@gippsland - 3rd June 2021 - Back to News

Mr WALSH (Murray Plains) (14:59): I rise to make a contribution on this year’s budget. Regional Victorians are paying more and getting less, and that is just everywhere through this particular budget. I think Victorians made great sacrifices through the COVID pandemic. The recovery from the COVID pandemic is actually there for all Victorians. It is not to the credit of this Labor government. This Labor government did everything it possibly could to actually make sure that— A member interjected.

Victoria state budget's purpose is to provide programs and services that is beneficial for the state and the community, through the programs proposed, it helps in the progress of the state and community

Get the economy going again

Mr Walsh said, "The language that was just used in an interjection I cannot use, but the fact is they actually did everything possible to stuff it up, mess it up. I think we can be eternally grateful to our federal Liberal-Nationals government for what they did through the COVID pandemic."

"I think, to Scott Morrison’s and Michael McCormack’s credit, the JobKeeper program and the JobSeeker program kept businesses going, kept the connection between employees and employers so that businesses could start back up again and get going, because we know the challenges that small businesses, particularly the hospitality and the accommodation sectors, had through the COVID pandemic."

"So the fact that the Andrews government would have a budget that increases taxes just when we want to get the economy going again defies economic logic, and that is why I think all Victorians are so bitterly disappointed in this budget. They actually want to see the recovery get going."

Getting less than the capital program

Mr Walsh said, "They gave up so much last year—locked down in their homes, kids at home being home educated, parents working from home, not being able to see relatives, not being able to go to the funerals of relatives. People gave up so much through the pandemic that they actually want to see the recovery. They want to be beneficiaries of the recovery, not be taxed more through it."

"If you actually go through the budget in detail and you look at the capital program from a regional Victorian point of view, regional Victoria gets less than 8 per cent of the capital program across this budget—only 8 per cent. Twenty-five to 30 per cent of people live in regional Victoria with the economic activity that regional Victoria generates, but only 8 per cent of the capital budget is actually spent in regional Victoria."

Not a fair share

Mr D O’Brien said, "It’s not a fair share, is it?" Mr Walsh then replied, "It is not a very fair share at all. You think of the cost overruns on the major projects in Melbourne—more than $22 billion in cost overruns. It is almost impossible to comprehend how much money that is. If I look at the example of Swan Hill, it needs additional money for the hospital."

"They have had some, but another $100 million would probably finish off that hospital. That is $22 000 million that has been blown on cost overruns on projects. How many new Swan Hill hospitals would that build across Victoria? Every town could have a new hospital in Victoria with that sort of cost overrun." Ms Kealy interjected.

Opportunity to upgrade and standardise railways

Mr WALSH said, "As the member for Lowan points out, there are no beds for mental health in this budget in regional Victoria. How many beds could you buy with $22 000 million? The answer is a lot, obviously—a hell of a lot. So this government are actually taking more from us but giving us less and using what they do get to fund the cost overruns in their projects, because particularly the Minister for Transport"

"Infrastructure just cannot manage projects. Whatever project that particular minister touches turns to rubbish, and there is no greater example of that than the Murray Basin Rail Project, a once-in-a-generation opportunity to upgrade and standardise the railway lines of north-west Victoria and western Victoria. It got $440 million from the federal and state governments at that time, funded by us in government from a Victorian point of view and matched by the Commonwealth."

Worse cases after the upgrade

Mr T Bull asked, "How’s that going?" Mr Walsh said, "How’s that going? It got absolutely, totally botched to the point where the Minister put her hands up and said, ‘I give up. I’m not going to do any more. I give up."

"This is for a future government to sort out’. That $440 million that was supposed to standardise and upgrade all those train lines effectively only did the Mildura to Maryborough line and the Maryborough to Ararat line and that was it. But, worse still, what they did do they did not do well at all and it is worse in some cases after the upgrade than before."

Worst of both worlds

Mr Walsh said, "To the Commonwealth Government’s credit, they put in another $196 million to fix up the mess of the first project from the Minister for Transport Infrastructure. That is happening to fix that mess, but we still find that we have got the Sea Lake and the Manangatang lines now stranded as broad-gauge lines while the Mildura line is standardised."

Taking longer to get through

Mr Walsh continued, "The vision of that particular project was to have a 24-hour turnaround from Mildura to the port and back, but it is actually taking longer for those trains to get through than it was before. And all the Minister had to do was match $5 million the Commonwealth put on the table—"

Mr D O’Brien said, "Five million?" Mr Walsh answered, "Five million dollars to actually do the business case. Only $5 million, with $5 million from the Federal Government, would have done the business case to finish that particular project." Ms Kealy interjected.

Cutting budget instead of investing

Mr Walsh said, "As the interjector said, $22 000 million blown in Melbourne on cost overruns—not the cost of the projects, the cost overruns—but $5 million to actually match the Commonwealth to do a business case. Where are the priorities of this government? No-one really knows."

"If you think about the other cuts through the budget: agriculture, a major driving force in this state, employs a lot of people, generates a lot of export income—there is a nearly 12 per cent cut to the budget."

"The budget for agriculture was $590 million. It is now $464 million—a $125 million cut to the department of agriculture here in Victoria, a 12 per cent cut. Post COVID, given the demand for food and fibre in the world, why wouldn’t a government actually be investing in agriculture, investing in the research, investing in the next generation of productivity gains in this industry? But no, the Andrews government cuts."

Develop new market opportunities

Mr Walsh continued, "If you think about the trade and global engagement program, particularly with the challenges that our agriculture sector has with markets in China with the tariffs on barley, the issues around wine grapes or wine, the issues around a lot of other products going there and the issue with timber going into China, we need to actually be investing with our industries to actually develop new market opportunities to make up for what we are missing out on in China."

"If you take the trade and global engagement program, it did have a budget of $105.9 million. It now has a budget of $39.2 million, so a $67 million dollar cut—a 63 per cent cut to that budget. That program is just so important to our export industries—to our agriculture, foodproducing and fibre-producing industries—to get new markets to make up for the challenges they have got in China."

"But what does the Andrews government do? What does the new Minister for Agriculture do? She actually cuts the budget. So we have got the new Minister for Agriculture, the new Minister for Regional Development, who has had a 12 per cent cut to global agriculture budget, a 63 per cent cut to the trade portfolio budget—"

More cuts to agricultural budget

Mr Bull interjected, "Fruit fly." Mr Walsh said, "Fruit fly I will come to. The regional development budget was $539 million. It is now $256 million, so a nearly 53 per cent cut to the regional development budget. "

"So I do not know what the new Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Regional Development has done to offend all her cabinet colleagues, particularly to offend the Treasurer, but it seems to be that every portfolio she has got has had cuts, cuts and cuts: 12 per cent to the department of agriculture, nearly 53 per cent to the regional development program and 63 per cent to the trade and global engagement program."

"Someone interjected before about the fruit fly control program, a community program with financial assistance from government, and the value of that would be multiplied a number of times over in all the community work that goes on. That has had a $2.5 million cut. "

Cut money to particular community-based program

Mr walsh continued, "That particular program was nearly $8 million and is now just over $5 million. Why would you do that? Why would you actually cut something that is a community-based program that is delivering value for the taxpayers of Victoria, giving value to the industry, giving value to the communities?"

"For a lot of those communities along northern Victoria, particularly in the eastern half of northern Victoria, people can no longer effectively have a vegetable patch because the fruit flies are so bad. So what does the government do? The government actually cuts money to that particular program."

"They tried to spin it as a great announcement, that they are actually supporting this particular program, but inadvertently they just got to tell people, ‘We’re just cutting $2.5 million out of it’ and tried to make out they were doing people a favour. They were not doing people a favour; they have actually cut that particular program."

No money for on-farm water infrastructure

Mr Walsh also said, "As has already been talked about, that very small percentage investment in capital programs in regional Victoria—no money there for the Shepparton bypass, a project that is absolutely essential there. The Commonwealth is willing to talk about it. The state is not putting money into it."

I know the Member for Euroa will probably say something in her contribution about there being no money for the Kilmore bypass, a program that has been on the drawing boards for a long, long, long time."

"There is actually no money for the on-farm water infrastructure rebate scheme. The Commonwealth has put another $50 million on the table for this particular program that is to be matched by the state. Then there are grants available for people to put in place water infrastructure to make them more resilient in a drought, to make them more drought-proof."

Preparing better for drought

"Mr walsh said, "Up to 25 per cent of a water infrastructure program can be funded out of that, to a maximum of $25 000. The Victorian Farmers Federation asked the government to stump up $10 million, which would have generated another $10 million from the Commonwealth Government, $20 million in total. It would have helped a lot of farmers get better prepared for drought in the future."

"This is the second round. There already was one round that the Commonwealth and the State funded. It was oversubscribed. There is a long list of people that want to access this particular program. The reason the State gave as to why they are not going to match this particular program is it has rained."

"The right time to actually get ready for the next drought is now. There is no point in waiting until there is a catastrophic drought to actually have another program. Why not actually have that program funded now when people actually have a couple of dollars because they have had a reasonable season? Let them get this grant. Let them actually prepare better for the next drought."

No desire to help regional Victoria

Mr Walsh said, "The fact that the Andrews Labor Government, the fact that the Member for Macedon, the Agriculture Minister, will not actually match the Commonwealth on this particular grant is so short-sighted. There is no vision for agriculture, there is no vision for regional Victoria."

"If you were serious about this, you would match that grant now and you would get more farmers investing in water infrastructure and making sure they are prepared for the next drought. But no, that is not going to happen because this government just has no vision, no passion, no desire to help regional Victoria or help agriculture."

Housing for those who flee domestic violence

"Mr Walsh continued, "One of my other portfolios is the issue of Aboriginal Affairs. There is a desperate need in that portfolio for public housing. My office and I know the offices of a number of my colleagues in regional Victoria constantly have open constituent files for young women with their children who are fleeing domestic violence and cannot get housing. I have two active files in my office in Echuca at the moment."

"One particular woman who left an abusive relationship previously ended up going back because she could not find anywhere to live. She has left that relationship again. She is now being shunted from motel to motel, getting emergency housing, but she just cannot get a house to go and live in with her child to get away from this abusive relationship."

"The Andrews Government talks big on these particular issues, but it is all headline and no deadline. When the actual need is there, people are missing out. People are missing out right across regional Victoria on the issue of public housing."

Paying more, getting less

Mr Walsh also said, "As Shadow Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, can I say it is just horrendous having to see these people who cannot get a house to live in to flee an abusive relationship and for them to live in with their family. The Andrews government talks big about billions and billions of dollars in the future for public housing. That is not going to solve the issue right now for a woman that needs to a house to flee a domestic relationship."

"From a whole range of points of view, people are paying more and they are getting less out of this budget. I have been bitterly disappointed in listening to the other side talk, because this is about class warfare."

"There are about class warfare. Because you have actually worked hard, because you have actually got a few dollars, they want to tax you more. This is about jealousy. This is about class warfare and a government that just does not care about Victorians, and they will pay the penalty at the ballot box next November."

Pictures from Parliament of Australia web page.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com