Tuesday, 14 May 2024

South-West Coast electorate events

Roma BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (10:36): Congratulations to Mark McNamara, his board, CEO Luke Cann and the Warrnambool Racing Club team and the many vendors, staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly to coordinate a truly remarkable May racing carnival for 2024. More than 30,000 people radiated excitement and energy into Warrnambool and this premier event of our racing calendar, which brings visitors and tourism into town and provides a financial boon for the region. The accommodation, restaurants and hospitality providers in our region contributed to a fantastic week of celebrations for both locals and visitors. The positive feedback and enthusiastic response are a clear indication of the event’s resounding success.

Investing in events and tourism pays back dividends for our regions, supporting local jobs and economies. It is therefore concerning to see that the Allan Labor government slashed funding to the tourism sector in last week’s state budget to the tune of $393 million – that is millions cut out of our visitor economy initiatives, regional tourism events and infrastructure. Our regional events bring so much vibrancy and life to our regions and contribute millions to regional economies, so to cut funding now is short-sighted and threatens to have a major impact on the economic stability of regional towns and the events that we run, such as the May racing carnival, the Melbourne to Warrnambool cycling classic, the world-renowned grand annual sprint car classic, the Port Fairy Folk Festival, the Heywood Wood, Wine and Roses Festival and Portland’s Upwelling Festival, just to name a few. Our region is all the better for these events, and we need a government that recognises this and gets behind regional Victoria and the major benefits our festivals and events bring to Victoria.