Gippsland residents were among thousands caught up in a Covid border permit scheme described in a scathing report from the Victorian Ombudsman, Deborah Glass as “downright unjust, even inhumane.” The report, which is the result of the Ombudsman’s investigation into the Andrews Labor Government’s failed handling of border entry and the Victorian travel permit…
Evidence has emerged that Victoria’s Mental Health Minister was told of Victorians taking their own lives due to “COVID-related stressors” – but failed to act. A Ministerial briefing note obtained by the Liberals and Nationals under Freedom of Information (FOI) has revealed the Health Department warned Mental Health Minister James Merlino in early June 2021…
The Victorian Liberal Nationals have announced a major policy commitment to deliver the largest ever investment in manufacturing in Victoria’s history, a $2.5billion fund – with $1billion tagged for the regions. Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull, said the allocation earmarked for regional Victoria would go a long way to assisting the economic recovery…
Independent MPs have flipped to vote with Labor to pass the Andrews Government’s pandemic legislation power grab after a marathon 24-hour sitting of the State Parliament. The controversial pandemic legislation was fiercely opposed by Liberal and National MPs after legal experts and human rights advocates raised serious concerns that the Bill handed the government and…
Nationals Member for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy highlights concerns for regional Victoria with the Andrews Government directing more of their budget to office staff rather than to our seasonal firefighters. At the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC) hearings, the National Party expressed “the Andrews Labor Government needs to get the focus back…
Victorians are getting sicker while the Andrews Labor Government fails to meet a key finding from the Mental Health Royal Commission, more than three years since it was delivered. Announcing training and mental health beds today, Premier Daniel Andrews and Mental Health Minister James Merlino neglected to mention that both commitments are long overdue. The…
Independent MPs have flipped to vote with Labor to pass the Andrews Government’s pandemic legislation power grab after a marathon 24-hour sitting of the State Parliament. The controversial pandemic legislation was fiercely opposed by Liberal and National MPs after legal experts and human rights advocates raised serious concerns that the Bill handed the government and…
A new report on ecosystem decline in Victoria has recommended the introduction of Indigenous ‘cool burn’ techniques and to abandon the Andrews Government’s 2030 ban on native timber harvesting. The recommendations were made following a two-year parliamentary inquiry investigating Victoria’s ecosystems and the threats and challenges to the habitat’s health and sustainability into the future.…
Daniel Andrews has the power to lock communities down again after The Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021 became law in Victoria. The Nationals Member for Eastern Victoria Region Melina Bath grilled the state’s Attorney General Jaclyn Symes about the bill during a marathon 24-hour sitting of the Parliament’s Upper House.…
The supply of food in Victoria is under threat with timber mills set to run out of supply to produce wooden pallets needed to transport of food and drink for Christmas. The Nationals Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Melina Bath said Labor’s war on the native timber industry is now restricting the distribution of food,…
The Nationals Member for Lowan Emma Kealy is encouraging Lowan residents to make a submission to the Federal Government’s Regional Banking Taskforce. The Federal Government has established the taskforce to assess the impact of bank closures on regional communities. The Taskforce will bring together banks and other key stakeholders, who will hold a number of…
The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien says the Andrews Labor Government is giving with one hand and taking with the other when it comes to housing in the region. Gippslanders are struggling to put a roof over their heads and housing availability and affordability is constrained by huge demand and government inaction.…