General News
13 November, 2022
Pegging rises to inflation
The Loddon Herald put three questions last week to Bendigo East candidates: Would you or your party support future library grants to Loddon Shire increasing at least by the rate of inflation instead of the below-inflation 1.47 per cent increase this...
The Loddon Herald put three questions last week to Bendigo East candidates:
Would you or your party support future library grants to Loddon Shire increasing at least by the rate of inflation instead of the below-inflation 1.47 per cent increase this year?
Loddon Shire’s annual allocation from the State Government for roadside weed reduction has remained unchanged at $75,000 for 10 years. Would or your party support an indexed allocation as a minimum?
Loddon farming groups are concerned that wheel cactus is spreading fast and could form a super cell across central Victoria. Would you or your party support greater resources to combat its spread in the Loddon and central Victoria?
MICHAEL TOLHURST (Greens)
The Greens support accessible, and high quality public infrastructure. We support future library grants to Loddon Shire increasing at least by the rate of inflation. Libraries are essential for public education, the sharing of knowledge and as a community meeting point. As a father with two young girls, I highly value my local library. It is a great opportunity to freely access books and to meet other parents in the community.
The Greens support the indexation for roadside weed reduction funding for the Loddon Shire. It is important to keep our farmland productive and minimise weed intrusion into native vegetation areas.
The Greens support increasing the funding to combat wheel cactus is central Victoria. Our election commitment includes a $1 billion per year biodiversity fund, which among other things would pay for a large-scale program to restore private and public land with weeding, invasive species management, fencing waterways, tree planting and restoring grasslands and wetlands, creating thousands of jobs along the way.