Life is full of choices.
Some might be largely inconsequential in the overall scheme of our lives, while others shape the very fabric of the future we build for ourselves and others and, in turn, the choices and freedoms that might flow – or be taken away – as a result.
At the state election in just under four months, Victorians have a choice that will define our state for the following four years: continue with a tired, out of touch and city-centric Labor government that overtaxes, overspends and puts its own interests ahead of the people it represents; or elect a Nationals and Liberals team who listens and responds to community needs, who can be trusted to manage your tax dollars responsibly, and who will restore hope and the promise of a safe and secure future to our state and all those who call it home.
Since becoming the Member for Lowan in 2014, I have fought tirelessly for our communities to receive their fair share. But under Labor, our region and so many others across the state continue to be asked to do more while receiving less.
We know that rural and regional Victoria does a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to driving our state’s economy, accounting for 30 per cent of the state’s exports and almost a quarter of Victoria’s small businesses. We have also been tasked with hosting most of the infrastructure associated with Victoria’s energy transition such as wind turbines, solar farms and transmission towers.
But just 12 per cent of the state’s new infrastructure funding comes to the regions – despite us representing 25 per cent of the population – and Labor’s insidious taxes, including the Emergency Services and Volunteers Levy, hurt us more than anyone. Primary producers bear the largest brunt of this mammoth tax, while Labor simultaneously tramples their property rights in its reckless push towards renewable energy.
The emergency services tax is one of 60 new or increased taxes Labor has imposed on Victorians since 2014 to service its $194 billion debt bill and the $21 million a day it pays in interest – money that could be going to our hospitals, schools and roads. Instead, our roads are crumbling, health services are harder to access, housing availability is more scarce, and crime and cost-of-living pressures continue to rise.
But we can change this. We can choose a government that will instead strengthen our economy to ease cost of living pressures, deliver a health system everyone can have confidence in, keep communities safe, and give every Victorian the best opportunity to own their own home.
It’s time for a government that gives regional Victorians their voice back and the respect and fair share they deserve. The Nationals and Liberals stand ready to deliver a fresh start and the government our communities need and deserve.
