Member for Northern Victoria Region, Candy Broad said the Baillieu-Ryan Government’s first State Budget has failed to outline any plan for how they will ensure regional Victoria continues to grow and prosper into the future.
“Job creation and economic growth in regional Victoria does not just happen. It requires good planning from Governments, but sadly Mr Ryan and Mr Baillieu have failed to do so”, Ms Broad said.
Ms Broad said that in the lead up to the November 2010 election, the National and Liberal Parties made a number of promises to electors in Northern Victoria in the district of Seymour.
These promises included funding for the redevelopment of the Kilmore and District Hospital and for chemotherapy chairs at Seymour Hospital.
“There is no funding for delivery of these promises for the Kilmore Hospital and the Seymour Hospital in the Baillieu-Ryan Budget for 2011-2012 and no information about when these promises will be delivered” Ms Broad said.
The Liberal and National Parties also promised to commit $130 million to build the Kilmore-Wallan Bypass, Ms Broad said.
“The only funding in the Baillieu-Ryan Budget for the Kilmore-Wallan Bypass is $1.2 million for planning in 2011-2012 with a further $1.65 million for more planning in some future Budget”.
Further promises included:
- $50,000 to upgrade facilities at Seymour SES,
- $1 million for the Greyhound Adoption Program at Seymour,
- $1.2 million for the Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk in Seymour,
- $2 million for a new Wallan Ambulance Branch,
- $19 million to build a new Marysville Conference Centre,
- $20,000 for the Seymour Bowling Club, and
- Extension of gas to Wandong.
“I call on the Baillieu-Ryan Government to explain to the electors of Seymour where funding for implementing these promises can be found in the Budget for 2011-2012 and future years, over what period they will be funded, the amount of funding to be made available in each funding year, and what the funding source will be”, Ms Broad said.
“This is information that electors have a right to expect to be provided in Budget papers”.
Ms Broad said that the Baillieu-Ryan Government also failed to commit funding in the Budget for completion of the Wallan Secondary College redevelopment.
“The Baillieu-Ryan Government has previously admitted to slashing $338 million from the education Budget and walking away from the Victorian Schools Plan which would have seen every public school rebuilt or modernised by the end of 2016”, Ms Broad said.
“Wallan Secondary College has a right to know the intentions of the Baillieu-Ryan Government regarding future investment to help these schools provide quality teaching and learning for students”.
Ms Broad also called on the Baillieu-Ryan Government to indicate what its intentions are in relation to funding new fire stations at Buxton, Glenburn, Toolangi and Wandong, all of which would have received new fire stations under funding committed to by the former Labor Government.