General News
25 May, 2023
Reservoir, water works top Budget local spending list
WORKS at Laanecoorie headline Loddon spending in this year’s State Budget delivered on Tuesday. New Ripon MP Martha Haylett said the Government was delivering on its election promises and “investing in what matters for the people of Ripon”...
WORKS at Laanecoorie headline Loddon spending in this year’s State Budget delivered on Tuesday.
New Ripon MP Martha Haylett said the Government was delivering on its election promises and “investing in what matters for the people of Ripon”.
But Murray Plains MP and Nationals leader Peter Walsh says the Government’s ninth budget would make life harder for regional Victorians with funding slashed in key areas of roads, health and agriculture.
The Government has also introduced a 10-year tax on business property and holiday home owners to rein in rising debt from spending during COVID.
Funding has been included in Budget papers for a $3 million raw water storage and pump station at Laanecoorie.
The project is to be finished by June next year.
Another $4.618 million will be spent upgrading the spillway and outlet at Laanecoorie reservoir with Ms Haylett saying the Budget also has $800,000 for a new boat ramp at the reservoir.
Coliban Water has also had $1.6 million included in the Budget towards a new biosolids base on 10 hectares at the Dunolly Water Reclamation Plant. Biosolids will be trucked from other water reclamation plants in the region up to twice a week.
Biosolids are a by-product of the wastewater treatment process, organic material left over after sewerage treatment
The Government has funded its June 2022 commitment to build 50 government-owned and operated early learning centres “in communities that have the greatest need for more childcare and kindergarten places”.
Budget papers papers say the centres will offer “child care, three and four-year-old kindergarten and then transition to include pre-prep. In some cases they will be co-located with services like maternal and child health services and playgroups”.
The Government announced in the lead up to last November’s election that one centre would be in the Loddon Shire.
Ms Haylett said on Tuesday that Budget allocations provided clarity for consultation to begin on the location of the Loddon’s centre.
The Budget also includes the latest tranche of funds for upgrades announced in the 2022 financial blueprint at Wedderburn College and East Loddon P12 College.
Spending in this new financial year at East Loddon will be $6.345 million, half the total project bill of $12.754 million.
Work on the $12.886 million Wedderburn upgrade has been allocated $4.729 million for 2023-2024.
“We know education changes lives. With this Budget, we’re making sure students in rural and regional Victoria can get the world-class education they deserve, close to home,” Ms Haylett said.
And she said the Budget was “backing the community organisations that provide care, support, and services to help Victorians when they need it most” with confirmation of $50,000 funding for Wedderburn Community House announced during the election campaign.
Mr Walsh said the regional development budget had again been hit, halved from $211.5 million to $106.6 million in this year’s budget. “Since 2020, it has been slashed by 80 per cent,” he said.
“Agriculture funding hasn’t escaped the axe either, down 34 per cent on last year from $687.3 million to $454.8 million.
“Under Labor, Victoria is broke, life is getting harder and regional Victorians are being punished for the Government’s incompetence. Victoria’s regions are being left behind.”