Media Releases

The Nationals Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty in Parliament this week spoke on the State budget and said it was focused on securing a future for Victoria.

“I highlighted the fact that this budget is shaped by the economic challenges of the present, and those challenges are real and substantial.  The 2012-13 budget is all about rebuilding our state’s finances, and are securing the future of Victoria,” Mr Delahunty said.

“The Coalition Government has had the unenviable task of cleaning up the financial mess as a result of Labor’s 11 years of mismanagement.”

Mr Delahunty said that there were a number of projects costing the State millions of dollars which include the white elephant of the North South Pipeline, the Desalinisation Plant which is costing nearly $2million per day, and the debacle of the MYKI project.

“All of these factors have an impact on western Victoria.”

“Agriculture has a big bearing on the Lowan electorate and this year’s budget sees an injection of another $61 million into the new agriculture and food industry plan. This is about maximising the opportunities for our farmers.  As well as this, there is another $3.4 million to be invested in research and development in the red meat industry and to establish a new red meat innovation centre at Hamilton,” Mr Delahunty said.

“Red meat is one of Victoria’s major agricultural exports in the last year, generating $1.6 billion, so it is very important, particularly to the south-western area of my electorate.  Also there is money going into research for the grain industry in Horsham.

“In both areas of my electorate we have dollars coming from this budget.”

 Mr Delahunty said there was new rolling stock for our rural and regional railway network as well as another $172 million into regional rail maintenance.

“With this, there is $42 million which will help construct further duplication of the Western Highway.  The Coalition is doing more, particularly in the transport sector, which has been crying out for support for many years,” Mr Delahunty said.

Mr Delahunty said that there is support for businesses with WorkCover premiums being reduced by an average of 3 per cent from 1 July, which will improve Victoria’s competitive position and particularly help create jobs in western Victoria.
 
“In this year’s budget there are new measures to protect the most vulnerable of Victorians to meet community needs in health, education and community safety,” Mr Delahunty said.

“To this end, the State Government has put aside $336 million in the budget for child protection services.  The Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development has also announced a new capital funding round for early childhood services, this will be welcomed in places like Casterton.”

“The people of my electorate know I am disappointed there was no funding for three schools in the Lowan electorate: Horsham College, Bainbridge College in Hamilton and Dimboola Memorial Secondary College, however I am grateful for the visit of the Minister for Education for visiting many school in western Victoria.”

“The reality is that with the waste of the former Labor government with such things as the $750 million spent on the north south pipeline and the desal plant costing almost $2 million every day so with that $14 million each week, a number of projects such as schools could have been completed,” Mr Delahunty said.

“These are difficult economic times but I believe the Lowan electorate has fared as well as can be expected.  I am very proud to represent the Lowan electorate and I will continue to work hard for the people of western Victoria,” Mr Delahunty said.

The Nationals Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty has welcomed the announcement in the State budget that six Country Fire Authority (CFA) stations in the Lowan electorate have been ear marked for replacement or an upgrade.

“A number of locations have been identified by the CFA as a priority project as part of the Coalition Government’s $22 million 2012-13 budget investment in upgrading or building new CFA stations across Victoria,” Mr Delahunty said.

“This important funding will ensure local CFA volunteers have the best facilities to help them do their great work in protecting local communities.

“Tarrayoukyan, Clear Lake, Streatham, and Broughton stations have been listed for a new station while an upgrade is scheduled for the Vectis and Linlithgow station,” Mr Delahunty said.

“A further $12.3 million has been allocated to fleet infrastructure upgrades across the state to help the CFA best deliver on a range of services it provides such as road rescue, hazardous materials response and structural collapse.”

“The funding will mean the CFA will be better resourced to enable a more effective and efficient fire fighting service, whilst providing enhanced safety for crews.”

 “This is great news for these communities and continues the focus the Coalition Government has in ensuring our rural and regional communities are appropriately catered for,” he said.
Mr Delahunty said the 2012-13 budget is the most responsible delivered in Victoria for more than a decade and it has been developed having to deal with the $1 billion deficit inherited from the former Labor Government, massive project cost overruns through Labor’s mismanagement and major reductions in revenue sources in the form of GST cuts and the reduction of land transfer stamp duty income.

“These CFA upgrades recognise needs identified at the local level and further the commitment of the Coalition Government to ensure our communities remain safe and secure,” Mr Delahunty said.

The Nationals Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty has labelled the Brumby Government’s Regional Blueprint as a cynical election strategy rather than a long term plan for regional Victoria.

“This blueprint short changes regional Victoria by cobbling together a mishmash of existing departmental programs without any long-term vision,” Mr Delahunty said.

“The Brumby Government’s commitment to infrastructure development is both confusing and inadequate.  On any view $260 million over five years is utterly inadequate.

Mr Delahunty said this announcement was a pale imitation of the Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition’s $1 billion Regional Growth Fund,

 “The blueprint does very little to address key areas of disadvantage such as a lack of regional jobs and career progression.

“The regional blueprint also does not deliver any substantial improvement to higher education opportunities for our youth, as most of the money can only be used to infrastructure needs.  Studies have shown that he overwhelming barrier for country students participating in higher education is the cost of living away from home,” he said.

“The facts are the Brumby Government’s recent TAFE reforms have priced students out of higher education, causing a 60 per cent drop in regional enrolments this year.”

Mr Delahunty said that John Brumby’s reason for developing this blueprint is to appease angry voters in Melbourne electorates by promoting it as a means of easing Melbourne’s growing pains.  The quality of life of regional Victorians has clearly been a secondary consideration.

“While I welcome the announcement of funding for vital projects such as the Wimmera Regional Intermodal Freight Hub and the Kaniva Biodiesel project , this blueprint doesn’t seem to be quite up to scratch when it comes to delivering future outcomes for regional Victoria,” he said.

 “It is embarrassing and disappointing that after almost 11 years in government, this is the best John Brumby can produce for regional Victoria,” Mr Delahunty said.

The Nationals Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty is disappointed that the Brumby Government has not been more forthcoming in this year’s budget.

“Having spent many hours trawling through the budget papers in an attempt to find anything for the Lowan electorate all I have found is rehashed promises from previous budgets and a lot of rhetoric about how the Brumby government is looking after country Victoria,” Mr Delahunty said.

 
“In the Lowan electorate I have found there has been money provided for the Rainbow school, SES equipment at Dimboola, Nhill and Horsham and for a new hospital at Coleraine, which we are thankful for, however this budget has not gone far enough,” Mr Delahunty said.

 
“The Horsham Special School, the Horsham College and Baimbridge College Hamilton have been waiting for funds to upgrade their schools and these communities will be bitterly disappointed that the Brumby Government has again turned its back to them.”

 
Mr Delahunty said that the increase for first home buyers could provide a boost to local economies.

 
“This encouragement for first home buyers to build in rural and regional areas is most welcome; however the Brumby Government also needs to provide funding for job creating infrastructure projects in these communities.

Our health system is under-funded and over-burdened and support is needed to attract and retain doctors and allied health staff.  It is disappointing that in this year’s budget the Edenhope Hospital has again missed out on funding.

 
“The Lowan electorate has a strong reliance on the agriculture sector which has been snubbed by this Budget with grain growers suffering from the locust plague sweeping north west Victoria and there is very little money provided for locust, weed and pest control.

 
“Rural Victoria had been deprived of new roads funding in this years budget.  If you fix country roads you save country lives and again the Brumby Government has overlooked funding for improvements to roads in the Lowan electorate.”

“Rural and regional communities are the main driver of Victoria’s economy but are not receiving their fair share from a Brumby Government desperate to buy votes in metropolitan electorates.  After 11 year of Labor Government’s waste and mismanagement all we see is a blow out of our debt to $31.7 billion and an interest bill of $3.2 billion annually, what a legacy for future generations!

 
“Just think what benefits this money could bring to health, education, transport and police,” Mr Delahunty said.

 
“Despite the spin from Spring Street the reality is that there is very little in this year’s budget for western Victoria.  Victoria is bigger than Melbourne and again the Brumby Government has shunned this part of the state when we are still feeling the affects of drought, our health system is struggling and our road network continues to deteriorate.  Overall the Lowan Electorate has missed out on its fair share,” Mr Delahunty said.