State budget Ticks of approval for major projects
A number of lobby and industry groups have responded positively to a range of funding announcements in the state budget while calling for more to be done in some areas.
Committee for Gippsland welcomed the upgrade to Gippsland rail services while urging the State and Federal governments to sit down and reach an agreement over funding arrangements for the project.
Chief executive officer Mary Aldred gave the budget ticks for major improvements to the South Gippsland Highway, a priority in its Gippsland Freight Infrastructure Master Plan; funding of the Destination Gippsland management plan to boost tourism and for improved digital connectivity across the region.
And there was qualified support for the $110 million allocated to new timber plantations in Gippsland and a study by Victoria’s lead scientist to better understand the State’s gas supplies.
Ms Aldred said the gas study was a small step towards acknowledging energy security and costs were key issues for Gippsland businesses and households and, hopefully, an appreciating the impact of the current moratorium on onshore conventional gas.
She said new timber plantations were welcome but it was important that, as well as looking to the future, existing jobs were protected.
The government needs to provide Australian Sustainable Hardwoods with the timber allocation it needs to protect the 260 jobs “in limbo” at the Heyfield mill, she said.
The Victorian Farmers Federation was “delighted” with the reduction in payroll tax, the government’s commitment to scrap insurance duties on agricultural products and the $220 million to be spent on rural and regional roads next financial year.
President David Jochinke said regional roads were still chronically underfunded and the VFF has argued that this would best be addressed by a strategically planned approach to improving supply chain efficiency.
The RACV also came out in support of commitments to road works and to regional rail upgrades.
The $550 million for critical road maintenance was welcomed and a good start but more is needed to address some of the most unsafe roads, general manager public policy Brian Negus said.
The Victorian Chamber of Commerce’s acting chief executive Bryce Prosser described regional Victoria the big winners from the budget.
He said the rail and road projects announced, as well as payroll tax cuts, would boost confidence and promote jobs growth, he said.
But a coalition of 38 rural municipalities, Rural Councils Victoria, said it was “bitterly disappointed” with a budget that continued to lump regional and rural areas together.
Chair Cr Rob Gersch said RCV’s call for an annual $150 million Rural Community Support Fund to address specific issues of the smaller country councils and communities, that face very different financial pressures than large regional centres, had been rejected.