Wednesday, 17 June 2026

 Jade BENHAM (Mildura) (10:43): The people of regional Victoria are simply tired of being treated as an afterthought by this Labor government. While $15 billion is poured into the pockets of bikies and criminals, regional communities continue to fight for the bare minimum. They are fighting for decent roads, reliable health services and new fire trucks. If our police force were driving vehicles the same age as our CFA fleet, they would be still driving VS Commodores.

Dylan Wight interjected.

Jade BENHAM: It was a good car, but we do not need to be driving them around as emergency vehicles. We are fighting for improved water infrastructure and the investment needed to keep local communities strong. The reality is simple: regional Victorians pay their taxes like everyone else and they deserve their fair share. That is why the Nationals will end the regional discrimination that we have seen from this government and deliver a 25 per cent fair share guarantee. It is a very, very straightforward principle. If 25 per cent of Victorians live in regional Victoria, then at least 25 per cent of infrastructure spending should be invested in regional Victoria, not as a favour, not a deal, simply a matter of equity. That is all we have been asking for. Regional Victorians are not asking for more than their share – just their fair share. That is what the Nationals and the Liberals in government will deliver. After more than a decade of Labor neglect regional communities deserve their fair share.