Tuesday, 8 March 2022


Constituency questions

Buninyong electorate


Buninyong electorate

Ms SETTLE (Buninyong) (14:44): (6239) My constituency question is for the Minister for Employment, Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy, Minister for Small Business and Minister for Resources. Last Friday I visited the beautiful township of Buninyong and spoke to many local businesses and community groups, including the Bendigo community bank and the Buninyong and District Community Association. I heard that broadband speeds in the town centre were holding back growth and making it harder to attract new business into Buninyong. Digital infrastructure and telecommunications are a commonwealth responsibility, but the federal Liberal government have failed us. The Andrews government’s $550 million Connecting Victoria program is designed to fill the gaps left by the commonwealth, which is ignoring the needs of regional and rural townships like Buninyong. The Andrews Labor government will help fill these gaps by investing in new infrastructure to deliver vital improvements. I ask the minister: when will more locations for connectivity upgrades be announced?