Why Mario reckons Jess Wilson has what it takes to be Premier

IT WAS all about the cost of living when State Opposition Leader, Jess Wilson, Deputy Leader Danny O’Brien and local Liberal candidate Rochelle Halstead, sat down with business leaders in San Remo on Sunday this week to hear how they were going.

One of those at the meeting was Mario Zinellu of Mario’s At San Remo, a popular local restaurant known for its fresh, local seafood and Italian cuisine.

“I told her she looked like the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. She liked that,” said Mr Zinellu.

“She seems very switched on,” he said.

“She mostly wanted to know how we’re going, and we said it’s pretty tough at the moment.

“It’s the cost of goods, the cost of petrol, the cost of living. Trade is down, for sure. Not as many people. It costs an extra $80 to drive down here and another $80 to drive home.

“People haven’t got the money.

“We also talked about how to get rid of the government we’ve got now,” he said.

Mr Zinellu’s restaurant is located on the intersection of Marine Parade, Back Beach Road and Phillip Island Road, but despite it being one of the town’s most congested intersections during the summer and on peak weekends, he said there wasn’t much talk about local issues.

“She just wanted to know how business was going,” he said, but agreed traffic congestion is certainly a problem at times.

It’s a key advocacy priority of the Bass Coast Shire Council for the Department of Transport to be allocated more money to improve intersection safety at major intersections along the Bass Highway and Phillip Island Roads, especially at San Remo.

“Increasing visitation and rapid population growth mean that the Phillip Island Road and section of the Bass Highway are nearing capacity during peak times,” said the council in its ‘Advocacy Priorities 2026-28’ document.

“This has resulted in access issues for towns such as San Remo, Corinella and Coronet Bay and has contributed to an increased number of accidents and risk-taking behaviour at these intersections.

“To address these issues, Council is advocating for:

• DTP to Install two sets of traffic signals at intersections on Phillip Island Road as it passes through San Remo. The signals at San Remo Back Beach Road have been costed at $26 million plus and the other set at $30 million
• DTP to prioritise upgrading the intersection of Soldiers Road and Bass Highway, Bass with an appropriate roundabout to improves safety and efficiency of this major intersection

Speaking after the visit by the Liberal leader, Jess Wilson, to her own hometown, Bass candidate and former Bass Coast Shire Council Mayor, Cr Rochelle Halstead said she definitely stressed to Jess and her team the problems with Phillip Island Road.

“It’s been the number one priority in Gippsland for years,” Mrs Halstead told the Sentinel-Times.

"It's been great to have Jess in San Remo to hear from our local business owners who are doing it really tough at the moment,” said Mrs Halstead.

"Higher taxes and bills are making it harder than ever for business to make ends meet, and that's why we're committed to lowering their payroll tax costs and providing relief from Labor's land tax bills,” she said.

Ms Halstead will continue her campaign across Bass in the lead-up to the November 2026 state election, with cost pressures on local business expected to remain a strong focus.

Media statement

Jess Wilson support staff issued the following statement:

Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Treasurer Jess Wilson was in town today, joining Liberal candidate for Bass Rochelle Halstead in San Remo to hear directly from local fishers and small business owners.

The pair spent the morning at the Fisherman's Co-op and the San Remo Hotel, sitting down with the business owners and workers who keep this stretch of coast running.

Local operators spoke of rising payroll tax bills and insurance premiums that keep climbing, on top of a decade of cost pressures and neglect under Labor.

Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Treasurer, Jess Wilson, said "It's been a great opportunity to hear first-hand from the local businesses who are struggling to make ends meet in the face of higher everyday costs of doing business.

"These businesses are the lifeblood of Bass, employing locals and contributing to the economy, but are facing higher costs with taxes, insurance, energy bills, red tape and transport costs.

"It's why a Wilson Liberal Government is committed to help ease this pressure by reducing payroll tax bills and providing relief from Labor's soaring land tax bills."

A Wilson Liberal Government's 10-year plan will progressively lift the payroll tax threshold to $1.2 million by 2028-29 and reduce the metropolitan payroll tax rate to 4.8 per cent from 2030-31.

The land tax threshold will be progressively increased to $300,000 to take immediate pressure off family-run hotels and small business operators across regional Victoria.

That tax relief sits alongside the Liberals and Nationals' Fair Share Guarantee, a landmark commitment that will lock in 25 per cent of all new Victorian Government infrastructure expenditure for regional Victoria.

Analysis by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office has confirmed that less than 12 per cent of capital spending in the 2025-26 Budget is allocated to regional Victorians, with asset investment per person in metropolitan Victoria more than double that of the regions.

Under Labor, net debt has increased tenfold and Victoria will spend more on interest repayments next year than on Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria and all kindergarten services combined, with $1 billion left over.