Media Releases

The Nationals member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty said he welcomed the biggest tax reform in today’s budget with a new property based Fire Service Levy which will provide savings to western Victorians.

“This is the biggest tax reform in Victoria in decades and it is something I have advocated for since I entered Parliament.  I am proud and very pleased to see this has been finally delivered by this Coalition Government,” Mr Delahunty said.

“The Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission found the existing insurance-based levy was highly flawed, unfair and needed reform and introducing the Fire Services Property Levy in place of the old insurance-based levy is a key recommendation of the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission,” Mr Delahunty said.

Under the current system those property owners who choose not to insure, under insure or self-insure, make no (or an inadequate) contribution to funding our fire services,” Mr Delahunty said.

“The Levy funds the personnel, training, infrastructure and equipment that is on standby to provide firefighting and rescue services for people and property, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.”

“It is fair that all property owners, not just those who adequately insure, should make a contribution towards keeping our fire services going,” Mr Delahunty said.

“The fire services protect all Victorians whether or not they are insured, so it is not fair that only those who insure buildings and contents make a contribution,” Mr Delahunty said. 

From 1 July this year, the average insured household’s contribution for fire services is expected to reduce as follows:

LOCAL GOVERNMENT  ESTIMATED 2011-12        ESTIMATED 2013-14

                                        INSURANCE FSL               PROPERTY FSL
ARARAT RURAL CITY                    $204                           $121
GLENELG SHIRE                            $211                           $123
HINDMARSH                                   $208                           $111
HORSHAM                                       $209                          $124
SOUTHERN GRAMPIANS SHIRE  $211                           $123
WEST WIMMERA SHIRE                $212                           $110

“Eligible pensioners and veterans did not receive concessions under the insurance-based FSL, but under the new property-based system they will receive a concession and will pay $50 less," Mr Delahunty said.

“The property-based levy will not incur stamp duty or GST and delivers a major tax cut for many families and businesses in western Victoria,” Mr Delahunty said.

The Nationals Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty today welcomed the Victorian Coalition Government’s 2013/14 Budget investments in the Lowan electorate.

Mr Delahunty said the 2013-14 Victorian State Budget delivered for families and communities right across Victoria, including the Lowan electorate.

“The Coalition Government has provided a record $6.1 billion for infrastructure in 2013-14 to boost economic growth, productivity and improve liveability,” Mr Delahunty said.

Regional and statewide initiatives in the Victorian Budget in which the people of Lowan could benefit include:

• $170 million over three years for a road maintenance program which includes $90 million towards renewing deteriorated roads by strengthening the pavement and a further $80 million for resurfacing works to make roads more resilient to wet weather;
• $33.7 million over the next two years to expand the Coalition Government’s planned burning program, as recommended by the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission;
• $8 million tourism campaign to drive regional tourism, while raising awareness interstate and internationally, of Victoria’s regional destinations and experiences;
• $61 million for upgrades and replacements of rural fire stations;
• $4.7 million over two years to help better protect the livestock industry from serious disease, with a particular focus on preparing for an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease;
• $2.3 million for Rural Financial Counselling Service providing assistance to primary producers, fishers and small rural businesses suffering financial hardship;
• a record $14.34 billion in health funding state-wide to treat more patients and manage the increasing pressure on the system, including $81.5 million for regional hospitals and health services;
• $11.6 billion in education funding statewide to improve student outcomes and ensure Victorians have the skills needed for the future;
• $91 million extra for out-of-home care across Victoria to continue work in improving the lives of vulnerable children;
• $46.2 million extra to support Victorian children across the State in the vital years before school, including $7 million to build and upgrade children’s centres and kindergartens across Victoria;
• A $200 million TAFE Structural Adjustment Fund will support proposals from TAFE institutes for innovation, collaboration, structural reform and business transformation;

• $16 million for grants to landholders and regional organisations to support native vegetation and threatened species; ¬and
• boosting the First Home Owner Grant to $10,000 for newly constructed properties and reducing stamp duty from 1 July 2013.

Mr Delahunty said that families and householders in western Victoria will also benefit from the Coalition Government’s reforms to the Fire Services Levy (FSL). The property levy replaces the old levy on insurance premiums, leading to a fairer system – with all property owners making a contribution to the fire services, rather than just those who take out insurance.

“Obviously I am disappointed we did not receive funding for three schools in my electorate - Bainbridge College Hamilton, Dimboola Memorial Secondary College, and the Horsham Secondary College,” Mr Delahunty said.

“However, the Government must responsibly balance and prioritise the capital needs of over 1,500 government schools across Victoria and we are committed to upgrading government primary and secondary schools across the State,” he said.

“I was pleased to see nine schools in the Lowan electorate share in nearly $840,000 to attend to maintenance issues.  As we all know western Victoria has wonderful schools with talented teachers who provide quality education for our children, so the maintenance funding is very welcome to these schools,” Mr Delahunty said.
 
“Today’s Budget is about building for growth for all Victorians. Responsible economic management means the Coalition Government can invest in critical infrastructure and better services,” Mr Delahunty said.

Mr Delahunty said funding announced in the 2013-14 Victorian Budget was in addition to the Coalition Government’s $1 billion Regional Growth Fund (RGF) – a record eight-year investment in the regions to deliver a greater quality of life, new opportunities and increased prosperity to all Victorians.

“Across Victoria, the RGF has so far invested a total of more than $250 million into 900 projects worth more than $900 million, expected to create 3,700 direct jobs and a further 3,800 indirect jobs.

“Last week I announced $500,000 for the Dunkeld Memorial Hall redevelopment and I will be making a further $500,000 announcement for Horsham in the near future,” Mr Delahunty said.

“This Budget will not only benefit Lowan, but the prosperity of the whole state,” Mr Delahunty said.

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.