Rural and regional Victorians are again bearing the brunt of the Baillieu Government’s failure to release a jobs plan, Labor Spokesperson for Rural and Regional Victoria, John Lenders said today.
Australian Bureau of Statistic’s jobs data released this week indicated that more than 9000 full-time jobs had been lost in Rural and Regional Victoria in the month of June alone.
Since Mr Baillieu took office in November 2010, 25,500 full time jobs have been lost across regional Victoria.
Mr Lenders said the ABS data showed the unemployment rate in rural and regional Victoria had risen to 5.5 per cent in June, compared to 4.9 per cent in the previous month of May.
“Mr Baillieu’s cuts to the public service, health and education sectors are contributors to these job losses and increasing unemployment across Victoria’s regions”, Mr Lenders said.
“Mr Baillieu must build new employment and investment opportunities and promote future growth and prosperity in Victoria’s regions.
“The National Party has been alarmingly silent on this issue which would be deeply concerning to the rural and regional communities it is meant to represent”.
Rural and Regional Victoria has already lost out under the Baillieu Government with cuts to vital programs and initiatives such as the $205 million Future Farming Strategy, $290 million in annual funding for TAFEs and the scrapping of the rural first home buyers’ scheme.
Mr Lenders said that Victorians living in regional communities deserve an explanation from their local National Party members about why their communities were playing the role of the poorer cousin to the Liberal Party.
“This is yet another example of Ted Baillieu’s failure to look after the families and communities in Victoria’s rural and regional centres, Mr Lenders said.
“If Mr Baillieu cared about rural and regional families he would create jobs, build infrastructure and deliver more quality education and health services”.