Thursday, 3 April 2025

 Tim McCURDY (Ovens Valley) (09:45): The people of the magnificent Ovens Valley are demanding answers from Premier Allan on a number of fronts. Our region is home to some of the worst roads in Australia, while the Allan government has flushed $589 million down the drain on the Commonwealth Games con. All of Victoria’s regional roads could have been fixed if not for the absolute con by the Premier of this state. Where is the apology from Premier Allan? Where is the fronting up to the regions and asking for forgiveness for the brutal financial mess that she has put Victoria into?

The upcoming budget in Victoria is Premier Allan’s chance to give some dignity to our communities who live outside of the Melbourne metropolitan boundaries and to invest in health, education and housing in Wangaratta, Bright and Mount Beauty. Wangaratta was promised the final stage of the high school that the coalition invested in in 2014, and that turned into a cruel hoax as the Victorian Labor government ripped that money out of the Wangaratta region and handed it to other communities. The 2025 Victorian budget must begin with an apology for the financial mismanagement of our great state and conclude with completing the Wangaratta High School build.

Yarrawonga is the fastest growing town in regional Victoria and still cannot get the Victorian government to agree on the new bridge route that connects Victoria to New South Wales. The delays and excuses are palpable. New South Wales is shovel-ready, while Victoria is still looking for the garden shed where the shovel is stored. Premier Allan’s behaviour towards regional Victoria is akin to President Trump’s liberation day to protect America. The only problem is Premier Allan is demonising the regions to save her pet project, the Suburban Rail Loop. On budget day, start with saying sorry and finish with investment.