Walsh opens the bidding for country votes at 25%

THE unofficial Victorian election race moved to Wonthaggi last Friday, May 28 when the Premier Daniel Andrews made a “surprise” visit to check on progress at the town’s $115 million hospital project.

The fact that the visit by the Premier to one of regional Victoria’s biggest health infrastructure projects came the day before a major announcement by the Opposition, about the “Nation’s first Infrastructure Guarantee” for regional Victoria may have just been a coincidence.

The Infrastructure Guarantee was the centrepiece of the National’s Leader Peter Walsh’s “State Leaders’ Address” at the Nationals’ state conference in Shepparton on Saturday, May 29.

It will see 25 per cent of new government infrastructure spending guaranteed for regional Victoria.

Notwithstanding the fact that a huge new facility is nearing completion at Wonthaggi, Mr Walsh said regional Victorians “have been denied our fair share of state government funding for too long”.

Our regional hospitals, he said, schools, sports grounds, roads and rail infrastructure have been short-changed with decades of careless neglect by successive, city-centric Labor governments.

He was joined by Liberal Leader Matthew Guy in committing to the 25 per cent deal.

But, the catch and it’s a big catch, the Coalition has to win government to deliver on the deal, unless Mr Andrews matches it.

The Liberal-National Coalition would need to take 18 seats from Labor or the Greens and independents, to secure a majority in the 88-seat house. It’s a tall order.

But it may not be an impossible one, going by the social media response to the Premier’s visit on Friday. Here's a few comments from the Sentinel-Times' Facebook page:

• I know a few nurses that would love to have a few words with him about how he's handled the "pandemic", some of them lost life long careers over it.
• Won't make one bit of difference unless you have staff, which you have fired because of mandates.
• What about the rest of the state that’s in crisis, can’t get ambulance or in emergency - we need more hospitals?

And certainly, the pressing need for a new hospital at Warragul comes to mind locally.

There were more message in that vein.

Mr Guy said it will see a massive 25 per cent of all new government capital investment guaranteed for infrastructure projects in regional Victoria, in the first term of government.

“Regional Victorians have missed out for too long under city-centric Labor governments,” Mr Guy said.

“Only a Liberals and Nationals’ government elected in November will treat our regional communities with respect by guaranteeing a fair share of 25 per cent of new infrastructure investment.

“New projects like the $750 million Mildura Base Public Hospital or a restored Country Roads and Bridges Program are exactly the transformational infrastructure our regional communities need.”

Mr Walsh claimed the Guarantee was in stark contrast to the Andrews’ Labor Government, which had allocated a paltry 13 per cent of capital spending to regional Victoria in this year’s budget.

“It’s time for our fair share in regional Victoria,” Mr Walsh said.

“Our guarantee to direct 25 per cent of the government’s new infrastructure spend into regional Victoria will deliver new and upgraded hospitals, schools and sports grounds, and the modern road and rail that we deserve.”

They say that an analysis of the 2021-22 State Budget papers shows just 11.4 per cent of Labor’s asset investment was directly allocated to projects in regional Victoria, this amounted to a paltry 13 per cent in 2022- 23, “while cost blow outs on Labor’s mismanaged major projects reaches $28.1 billion”.

They claimed the Government has cut the regional development budget by 68 per cent – a total of $370.3 million – in the past two years alone.

Mr Walsh said Labor’s cuts also extended to road maintenance, which is down 28 per cent (a total of $240 million) in the same period.

“Regional Victorians have had enough. Only a change in government in November will deliver regional Victorians our fair share,” Mr Walsh said.

And so it begins – but at least they’ve drawn up the battle lines in regional Victoria, the place where the election could be won and lost after the political shift in the Melbourne metro area during the recent Federal election.

New report says regional Victoria "being denied"

Mr Walsh claims a new report by Victoria’s Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) "has exposed the Andrews Labor Government’s severe under-investment in regional Victoria"

Here's what the Nationals had to say about the report:.

The report, Asset investment excluding Australian Government funding, reveals the extreme neglect of regional Victoria under a city-centric Labor Government that’s investing 114 per cent per person in metropolitan Melbourne when compared to regional counterparts.

It found a per person asset investment in metropolitan Melbourne of $15,268 versus a paltry $7,142 in regional Victoria in the 2021-22 State Budget.

Leader of The Nationals Peter Walsh said regional Victorians were being denied our fair share under neglectful Labor governments in 19 of the past 23 years.

“Daniel Andrews’ great regional rip-off has been exposed,” Mr Walsh said.

“We always knew that the city-centric Andrews Labor Government was short-changing regional Victorians but this report shows just how deep the neglect goes.”

The PBO details that “asset investment per person is around 114 per cent higher in metropolitan Victoria compared to regional Victoria”.

Yesterday, the Liberals and Nationals announced that if elected in November, the nation’s first Regional Infrastructure Guarantee will be implemented to deliver a quarter of Victoria’s new infrastructure spend directly to regional Victoria.

In stark contrast to the city-centric agenda of the Andrews Labor Government, the commitment guarantees State funding for new and upgraded hospitals, schools, roads and rail in regional communities.

Mr Walsh said regional Victoria was home to about 25 per cent of the state’s population, but that more and more people were realising the benefits of country life.

“The right infrastructure investments will make our communities even more attractive places to live and do business,” Mr Walsh said.

“Upgrades to key infrastructure – like schools, hospitals and community sports facilities – sends a positive signal that regional communities are well-equipped to look after the health, education and wellbeing of growing populations.

“Only a Liberals and Nationals government will show regional Victorians the respect we all deserve by delivering our fair share.”