Today, Labor’s Roads Minister Luke Donnellan detailed his ‘bold plan’ to fix country Victoria’s deteriorating road network – a new website. Country Victorians don’t need a website to tell us regional and rural roads have been seriously neglected by the Andrews Labor Government. What’s worse is that Luke Donnellan’s ‘bold plan’ doesn’t include a cent…
Shadow Water Minister Steph Ryan is encouraging landholders to make their views known on the Andrews Labor Government’s draft Rural Drainage Strategy. Ms Ryan said she was concerned the strategy failed to provide greater clarity around the management of rural drainage schemes. Labor’s strategy proposes that rural drainage schemes will be managed in four ways:…
Water Minister Lisa Neville must insist Labor’s senators stand up for the interests of Victoria’s Basin communities. Labor’s Victorian senators Kim Carr, Jacinta Collins, Gavin Marshall and Kimberley Kitching have been completely silent about where they stand on the recovery of the 450GL of up water from the Southern Basin. In 2013 The Nationals moved…
If Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan is genuinely committed to making Victoria’s freight rail network as ‘efficient and safe as possible’ Labor should fund upgrades at level crossings on the Maryborough to Mildura line. The Andrews Labor Government today announced the appointment of a Rail Freight Advisory Council to advise on rail industry issues. Freight rail is…
Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford has embarrassingly admitted she has no idea of serious concerns with the implementation of electronic identification (eID) of sheep and goats. Victorian saleyard operators say they won’t be ready to scan eID tags by March 2018 because the software they need to share data with the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS)…
Background Daniel Andrews has snubbed the views of Victorian farmers by failing to consult with Victoria’s livestock and intensive industries before establishing Animal Welfare Victoria. Animal Welfare Victoria was announced under the cover of darkness, without consultation with Victoria’s peak farmer group, the Victorian Farmers Federation or the Livestock Industry Consultative Committee (LICC). LICC was…
Background The glaring omission in the Andrews Government’s confirmation of the Heyfield mill sale is a promise that all 250 jobs will be saved. Labor MP Harriet Shing promised in March the mill would “not lose jobs overall” if the Government became a buyer of last resort, but Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford recently said “less…
Statement from Leader of The Nationals Peter Walsh The closure of Hazelwood Power Station this year saw the loss of 750 jobs and Victoria’s baseload energy capacity drop by 22 per cent. Increases to average annual power bills for homes and businesses have been far worse than the Andrews Labor Government predicted. There are new…
Reports that Daniel Andrews will reduce the speed limit to 70 kmh on some unsealed country roads is just lazy policy by a lazy government, Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh has said. The Andrews Labor Government has flagged the government is considering a proposal to reduce the speed limit on unsealed country roads to…
The Andrews Labor Government has broken its promise to the Heyfield community that jobs will not be lost at the Heyfield mill. In Parliament today, Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford failed to stand by a promise from Labor’s Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing in March that the mill would “not lose jobs overall” if it…
Country Victorians are wearing the costs of the Andrews Labor Government’s cuts to country roads funding. The parliamentary Inquiry into the Sustainability and Operational Challenges of Victoria’s Rural and Regional Councils heard today that country councils are struggling to meet the high costs of maintaining their roads network. Giving evidence to the parliamentary inquiry today,…
Hundreds of jobs at Heyfield’s timber mill remain in jeopardy despite the Andrews Government’s claims today. The Government’s media statement this morning says “…there will be no job losses while contractual negotiations are finalised,” but offers zero commitment beyond that period. Minister Pulford also told ABC 774 today that the timber offer to the mill…