The Baillieu-Ryan Government has been caught out using the depleted Regional Growth Fund to pork-barrel Liberal and National Party seats, Shadow Minister for Rural and Regional Development, Jacinta Allan said today.
Ms Allan said more councils in electorates held by Liberal and National Government MPs had received the maximum funds of $2.5million from the Regional Growth Fund's Local Government Infrastructure Program, while some of the most disadvantaged councils in Labor held seats received significantly less.
“There should be a fair and equitable distribution of the funds across regional Victoria by the Baillieu-Ryan Government. It shouldn’t matter where you live or who you voted for at the last election," Ms Allan said.
“But councils across regional Victoria haven’t received their fair share of the funds as Mr Ryan has allocated more of the money to councils in National Party and Liberal Party seats. “Poorer council areas have missed out on vital funding that would have assisted them to support their local community.
“Mr Ryan needs to understand old-fashioned pork-barreling is just plain unfair.” Ms Allan said an example of this was the Central Goldfield Shire that was a recognised area of high need but received less assistance than councils in Liberal and National Party seats. “If money from the Regional Growth Fund had been distributed fairly, you would not have councils like the Central Goldfield’s Shire getting significantly less funding than councils in Peter Ryan’s own backyard,” she said.
“That is why we are calling on the government to fess up and admit the Regional Growth Fund is nothing more than a sham fund being used to pork barrel votes in regional Victoria. "And to make matters worse this comes after the revelation that the fund is also being used to fund projects in metropolitan Melbourne.
“Regional Victorians are being treated with disrespect by Mr Baillieu and Mr Ryan.”