Wednesday, 13 August 2025

Public Accounts and Estimates Committee

Report on the 2024‒25 Budget Estimates

Kim O’KEEFFE (Shepparton) (10:56): I rise to speak on the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee report on the 2024–25 budget estimates. The budget is a reflection of the severe neglect of regional communities, and regional Victorians deserve so much better. Despite the rhetoric, this budget is full of cuts, deferrals, neglect and missed opportunities. The government boasts about investment, but when you dig into the figures, as PAEC has, it is clear much of the investment is either re-announced funding or projects suffering from chronic cost blowouts and cuts across the board. One thing I do want to point out is that the budget again includes cuts to the regional development fund, which was reduced by 50 per cent from $211.5 million to $106 million. Since 2020 the regional development fund has plunged by 80 per cent, taking much-needed funding out of regional communities. Regional Victoria is made up of 25 per cent of the population, yet we only get around 13 per cent of the budget. It is a total disgrace that this government neglect the regions when we do so much of the heavy lifting when it comes to agriculture, manufacturing and business, and particularly transport. Regional communities deserve and need fair investment into their communities, whether it be health, housing, roads, education or essential services. This government need to govern for all Victorians.

When it comes to health, the budget includes a headline $11.5 billion for hospitals and $8.8 billion in long-term funding, but PAEC’s findings make it very clear that much of this is too little, too late for regional providers. GV Health has been pushed into severe financial deficit. Their situation was laid bare during PAEC’s hearings. This is not a temporary setback but a reflection of systematic underfunding and cost pressures impacting regional communities. GV Health provide essential care for thousands across the Goulburn Valley, yet despite increasing demand they are expected to operate under financial constraints that threaten both service levels and staff retention. When hospitals are running in the red it is a reflection on the Allan Labor government’s disastrous management of the health system.

Let us go to the lack of maintenance and repairs and the terrible state of our roads. My electorate has crumbling, unsafe roads and a primitive road network, but it is no surprise that we have so many neglected and dangerous roads when there has been a 93 per cent cut in road maintenance and a 14 ‍per cent decrease in road resurfacing. There are still many roads in my electorate that are in a state of disrepair, crumbling, full of potholes and dangerous. Whilst we have seen some roadworks, there are still many more roads in desperate need of repair that are dangerous and putting lives at risk. We have seen some of the work done to a very poor standard, with constituents bewildered that anyone would think that that standard of work would be acceptable. Just yesterday a constituent posted photos of Murchison-Tatura Road, which is a total mess, full of deep potholes and crumbling. Alarmingly, this is a major truck and transport route. The Shepparton–Numurkah road is another busy road full of dangerous potholes, and just this week travelling to Melbourne on the Goulburn Valley Highway I saw there are still many dangerous potholes without warnings. Cars are getting damaged and lives are put at risk. Constituents are stressed and feeling unsafe having to navigate the dangerous roads.

I wish to touch on transport. My electorate has been calling for a bus review to meet the growing bus transport needs of the region. It has been 15 years since we have had a bus review, and it is well overdue. The electorate has grown significantly over that period of time, and there are many towns that have limited bus services or no bus services at all. Infrastructure Victoria puts Shepparton as the number one location in need of a bus review. This is an advisory body to the government. The council have also called on the government to support this review as a major priority. But no, the government have not committed to this review, and I urge them to do so. It is impacting significantly on the lives of people in the Shepparton electorate who need to get to where they need to go. Stage 3 of the Shepparton rail line upgrade, which was due to be completed in 2023, still has not been started. This will take our much-needed services from five to nine daily. Due to the lengthy delay, travellers are forced to travel on overcrowded trains, many not getting a seat on the 2½-hour trip. This is just another example of project delays that impact significantly on regional communities.

Another section of the committee report I would like to just touch on is the policy issue around housing and the budget cutbacks. Victoria is in the midst of a housing crisis. Rents are soaring, homelessness is increasing and home ownership is becoming more and more out of reach. The so-called Big Housing Build is drastically behind schedule and over budget. According to PAEC’s own report, delivery targets are not being met and communities are being left waiting. Housing shortages and homelessness figures continue to rise, and this government continue to ignore the desperate housing needs across the state, with my electorate having one of the largest and highest rates of homelessness in the state. The PAEC report reveals the neglect, significant failings and financial mismanagement of this government felt by every Victorian.