Victoria’s New Minister for Energy and Resources Jaclyn Symes needs to address the proposed application for the Avonbank mineral sands mine as a matter of top priority. Shadow Minister for Agriculture and the Nationals Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy, said the application carried serious concerns over water security, the integrity of the Environmental Effects Statement,…
DetailsThe Coalition is calling on Treasurer Jim Chalmers and the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) to reject the proposed foreign-backed acquisition of an iconic north-eastern Victorian farming station, as Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster points to Labor’s poor record on foreign ownership of Mallee farmland. “Federal Labor showed it could not be trusted to…
DetailsThe Nationals have taken aim at new Premier Ben Carroll over his central role in promising hundreds of manufacturing jobs for the Latrobe Valley that never materialised. Member for Eastern Victoria, Melina Bath, said that in 2018, then Labor Industry Minister Ben Carroll visited Morwell and promised a new SEA Electric vehicle manufacturing facility would…
DetailsA new policy announced by The Nationals and Liberal will help return Victoria to its position as the Education State following declining literacy and numeracy outcomes. The Nationals’ Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Melina Bath said the plan would strengthen educational foundations and give teachers the support they need to deliver better outcomes for students.…
DetailsGippsland East Nationals’ candidate, Gemma Rendell, has called on the Victorian Labor Government to address worsening firewood shortages in East Gippsland, saying vulnerable residents are paying the price for the closure of the native timber industry. “I’m a strong advocate for the timber industry, my family worked in it for years and I was pleased…
DetailsLife 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…
DetailsThe Nationals’ Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron, has lashed the Carroll Labor Government for its part in the latest round of job losses in the Latrobe Valley. Opal has announced 84 jobs will be axed at the Maryvale paper mill as a direct result of Labor’s failure to meet its contractual obligation to supply timber.…
DetailsVictorians will enjoy lower energy prices and greater choice as part of a Liberals and Nationals plan for affordable and reliable energy by allowing new conventional gas exploration and overturning Labor’s gas connection ban for new homes and businesses. The plan will help combat rising energy prices and the risks to Victoria’s energy supply caused…
DetailsThe Nationals have again stood up for Latrobe Valley residents and businesses in state parliament, demanding the Labor Government immediately address rising crime and properly resource local police. Member for Eastern Victoria, Melina Bath said crime in the Latrobe Valley had increased by 30 per cent over the past four years, leaving many residents frustrated…
DetailsThe Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien says a Parliamentary inquiry into Victoria’s 2025–26 bushfire season has confirmed years of Labor neglect have left CFA volunteers without the resources they need to protect regional communities. The Legislative Council Environment and Planning Committee’s report found declining CFA volunteer numbers, ageing firefighting vehicles, workforce shortages, inadequate…
DetailsThe Nationals’ Member for Shepparton District, Kim O’Keeffe, has questioned the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Ros Spence, if the Victorian Government can provide a timeframe for roadwork repairs across the Shepparton District electorate. In questioning the Minister in Parliament, Ms O’Keeffe described that potholes across the electorate are in the worst and most…
DetailsNew Premier, same old story for regional Victoria Victorians woke up this week to a new Premier. For those of us in regional Victoria, though, there is a nagging sense of deja vu. Ben Carroll is not a fresh face parachuted in from outside the Labor machine. He has sat at the cabinet table for…
Details