Polwarth electorate
Richard RIORDAN (Polwarth) (14:47): (294) My question this afternoon is to the Minister for Local Government, and the question that I ask this afternoon is: will the minister guarantee the funding that had been arranged under the Growing Suburbs Fund to the Surf Coast shire? The Surf Coast shire has now been working for quite some time on its indoor pool project; a considerable amount of that funding comes from the Growing Suburbs Fund. Peri-urban councils were shocked after the most recent state budget, where the funding for the Growing Suburbs Fund was slashed from $50 million to only $10 million. Of course regional Victoria is becoming very used to this government’s approach of late, when only on Friday they announced an even bigger cut to regional Victoria – they are getting excluded from the $10 million completely. Surf Coast shire sits alongside Baw Baw and other shires that have been relying on this extra support to local government in the fastest growing regional communities in the state. They do not have that funding. The Surf Coast needs its pool. Will that funding be guaranteed?