More city hospitals on cards but West Gippsland misses out

Committee for Gippsland chief executive Mary Aldred has called for more attention to regional infrastructure in areas of rapid population growth such as Baw Baw Shire

Ms Aldred was commenting on the latest Infrastructure Victoria 30-year strategy, released last week.

Member for Narracan Gary Blackwood also criticised the report, saying it contained only 11 of the total 134 recommendations to assist regional communities.

The report includes several recommendations for infrastructure which the Committee for Gippsland has been pushing, including a bypass for Traralgon, expanded coach services for towns including Orbost, and the need to replace ageing bridge assets such as the Avon River Bridge at Stratford.

The Committee welcomed other potential projects identified in the report, including the objective of five VLine passenger rail services a week day on the Bairnsdale line, and increased intra and inter town bus services in the region.

But other pressing projects, including a new West Gippsland Hospital, don’t get a mention.

“Infrastructure Victoria talks a bit about rapid growth in Melbourne and the need to expand and invest in new health facilities to absorb that population growth,” Ms Aldred said.

“If they’re going to be consistent, they should also look at regional areas facing rapid population growth.”

She said the scope of issues identified in the report was perhaps too broad.

“We think it needs to come back to infrastructure as a primary enabler of productivity and jobs, and not to lose sight of the fact that regions like Gippsland generate much of the wealth enjoyed by people in the city.”

The report did highlight the vital issue of carbon transitioning in the Latrobe Valley.

Ms Aldred said it was an issue that was going to affect the whole of Gippsland, with hundreds of people commuting to the Valley from neighbouring shires such as Baw Baw every day.

“Infrastructure Victoria should be responding to an impending transition in the Latrobe Valley by supporting the identification of an immediate pipeline of infrastructure projects to push forward with.

“The Committee for Gippsland would be keen to work with Infrastructure Victoria in this task.”

Mr Blackwood said Premier Daniel Andrews’s pattern of commissioning reports and then ignoring their recommendations was further proof that Labor cannot manage money.

He said the minister said the government would take its time to respond to the Infrastructure Victoria report and 90 minutes later Daniel Andrews ruled out major recommendations.

“Residents here in Gippsland want to see new major infrastructure built that will deliver better connections between other regions and the metropolitan area as well as new projects to drive growth in the Latrobe Valley.

“Daniel Andrews needs to stop wasting money by commissioning reports that he ignores and start delivering major road and rail infrastructure to help guide the future expansion of regional Victoria including Gippsland.’

Member for Morwell Russell Northe said for only 11 of the 134 recommendations specific to regional Victoria to be included, it showed how city-centric this premier had become.

“Daniel Andrews said he would take the politics out of infrastructure planning with Infrastructure Victoria however he has cherry picked projects before the final report is even released.

“Regional rail services continue to suffer and are in desperate need of investment, there is no plan for more public housing which is under immense pressure in regional Victoria and recommendations for better road connections between regional Victoria and metropolitan areas is being pushed back.

Mr Northe said the report also contains no timeline or decision on how or when Gippsland may be given a dedicated line to improve punctuality or frequency of services to and from Melbourne which needs to be delivered as a priority.