Victorians seeking mental health care are waiting longer, and fewer services are available to them when they need it most. That’s according to the Report on Government Services released today which provides a bleak assessment of the capacity of Victoria’s mental health system. Statistics show there are fewer beds available in specialised mental health units.…
Inadequate resourcing has taken the teeth out of wild dog control in Victoria, leaving livestock at risk and exposing landholders to further emotional and financial trauma. The Andrews Labor Government’s lax management is seeing attacks increase, with reports today landholders near Wyperfeld National Park in Victoria’s north-west have lost more than 300 sheep to wild…
A more than $200 million Commonwealth rescue package will revive the Murray Basin Rail Project after it was derailed by the Andrews Labor Government. The Federal Liberal and Nationals investment, announced today, includes $195.2 million to fix the mess left by Labor’s Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan, with a further $5 million for planning for…
Help for Homeless on its way The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien says he is hopeful help is on its way to assist with Gippsland’s growing need for crisis accommodation and community housing. In Parliament last month Mr O’Brien asked the Minister for Housing to work with the Minister for the Prevention…
Community consultation will soon begin on The Nationals’ plan to rebuild our CFA and strengthen the volunteer organisation following Labor’s disastrous fire service reforms. The CFA is an icon of country Victoria, but the Andrews Labor Government’s reforms have deliberately sidelined volunteer brigades that are integral to the protection of country communities. Member…
The Andrews Labor Government has outspent itself with a city-focused State Budget that delivers little for regional Victorians. Country people’s resilience has been stretched to the limit this year, first by catastrophic bushfires and then two waves of coronavirus shutdowns that have blown a hole in once thriving local economies. Today’s State Budget doesn’t deliver…
Gippsland families suffering through the scourge of drug addiction are being forced to wait for drug rehabilitation services due to ongoing delays by the Andrews Labor Government. The Andrews Labor Government promised in the budget 2017/2018 to provide funding for new youth drug rehabilitation services, but it has broken that promise and three years down…
Dear Editor, Next week’s 2020-21 Victorian State Budget is a critical chance to lay out a plan to restore Victorians’ lives and livelihoods. The lessons of 2020 have created unique opportunities for regional Victoria. Enforced working from home has showed us it’s possible to have a job in the city, while living in the country.…
Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull, said Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) offices in rural areas should now be open. “Here we are entering holiday season, people wanting to book campsites, check if roads are open, renew fishing and hunting licences, discuss pest control and obtain general information, but the doors…
The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien is reminding Gippslanders that road safety starts before you get on the road. Mr O’Brien said with the “ring of steel” no longer in place and restrictions on accommodation booking easing it was evident that many road users would be planning long drives over the coming months.…
Monday 2 November 2020 The Nationals launch new plan for regional Victoria’s COVID recovery A bold, positive plan to set Victoria on the path to recovery from devastating COVID-19 shutdowns and help businesses to decentralise has been launched today by Leader of The Nationals Peter Walsh. The new plan, Back to Work,…
Out of control roadside vegetation must be addressed as Gippsland moves towards summer and the impending bushfire season. The Nationals Member for Eastern Victoria Region and Shadow Assistant Minster for Public Land Use Melina Bath has raised concerns about the ongoing poor standard of roadside vegetation control during State Parliament today. Ms Bath today sought…