Dear Editor, The numbers are in, with reports Victorians will now be slapped with annual energy bills of up to $4000, mounting more stress on families in the midst of a cost of living crisis. This is nothing groundbreaking, many have been experiencing this increasing financial pressure for months. Despite struggling now, Victorians are being…
DetailsThe question as to why the Government’s Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) offices, formerly DELWP, has significantly reduced opening hours, was raised this week in State Parliament by Nationals’ Gippsland East MP, Tim Bull. “One has to ask what is going on in the Department of name changes,” he told Parliament.…
DetailsSpeaking in State Parliament, The Nationals Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Melina Bath has called on the Minister for Child Protection and Family Services to address the huge gaps in mental health services for children living in out-of-home care. “Children entering out-of-home care are often in a highly traumatised state. “Gippsland foster care advocate; Heather…
DetailsCommunities in Victoria will have their voices heard through a state-wide inquiry into Victoria’s preparedness and response to flooding events. The Liberals and Nationals today passed a motion in the Legislative Council requiring the Environment and Planning Committee to report on the preparedness and response to the October 2022 Victorian floods. Our communities deserve answers…
DetailsGoulburn Valley residents who need an ambulance are being forced to wait at least an hour as Victoria’s Triple-Zero response times become the worst in the nation. Fewer than two in three (65.6 per cent) emergency calls for an ambulance were answered on time – the lowest level of any state or territory – and…
DetailsGippsland Nationals MP’s have expressed their solidarity with workers who will lose their jobs at Opals Maryvale Mill with the closure of white paper manufacturing. The devastating news was confirmed last night after months of the Labor Governments failure to supply timber to the mill which is the direct result of Labor policy and…
DetailsMember for Lowan and Deputy Leader of The Nationals, Emma Kealy has used her first address to the Victorian Parliament for 2023 to call on the Andrews Labor Government to honour its promise to “deliver for all Victorians” and increase its investment in regional Victoria. Speaking in Parliament Ms Kealy said it was her…
DetailsThe Andrews Labor Government has again been caught out over the troubled Maribyrnong River Flood Review. Speaking yesterday, Minister for Water Harriet Shing is reported to have told media outlets that “building on floodplains is a key area of concern within this review”. This statement comes despite the scope of the review specifically excluding ‘broad…
DetailsThe average wait time for public dental care in Victoria has increased to 26.7 months, the worst delays in dental care this decade and Nationals MP for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, is calling for more investment from the State Government. “It is disappointing, but not surprising, the wait times have blown out after…
DetailsA centuries-old sport is at risk as the Andrews Labor Government continues to fail Victoria’s native timber industry. Reports in recent weeks that the Victorian Axemen’s Council has no timber for upcoming woodchopping events mean Victorians will be unable to compete at agricultural shows around the state. A court order limiting harvesting in areas managed…
DetailsAlmost 6 in every 10 Victorians suffering from an acute mental health crisis are waiting longer than 8 hours to be transferred from emergency departments to inpatient beds, according to new data from the Victorian Agency for Health Information (VAHI) released today for the October-December 2022 reporting period. This confirms a year-on-year decline of…
DetailsThe Nationals Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron has challenged the Andrews Labor Government over the possible permanent closure of Opal Australian Paper’s Maryvale white paper mill. Mr Cameron used his first opportunity in State Parliament this week to question the recently installed Minister for Manufacturing Sovereignty over the closure. “I asked the Minister,…
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