Gary's Speeches

Appropriation Bill 2009

Back to Speeches

"It is with pleasure that I rise to speak on the Appropriation (2009/2010) Bill. The 2009-10 Victorian state budget, delivered by the Labor government, has been a major disappointment to many in Narracan as once again the Labor government has focused on maintaining and building Melbourne rather than giving true support and investment to the Gippsland region when now more than ever it is desperately needed. "

"Before I comment on the shortfalls of the budget I would like to touch on a few positive initiatives my electorate received funding for in this budget. The schools modernisation project across the state is long overdue, particularly for the Gippsland region. The commitment to modernise the Lardner and Newborough primary schools is part of the $7.6 million statewide program. I am sure it is a welcome investment for those school communities. Education was made a priority for this budget. However, although the government delivered in some areas of Narracan, it did not do all that had previously been promised. It has left many disappointed with the funding shortfalls across the region. "

"Trafalgar High School received $4.8 million for improved facilities. Although this investment is very welcome, it falls well short of the Labor government's 2006 election promise to provide $8 million for the school's long-awaited redevelopment. "

"The 2006 election promise gave Trafalgar High School great hope, but funding did not arrive in 2007 or 2008, and now in the 2009-10 budget the funding commitment is just over half the original promise. The school community has been very patient in putting up with substandard conditions across many parts of its campus. It now faces a real concern about just what it will get and whether it will address all of the infrastructure upgrades that are essential to cater for a current school population almost four times that which the original school was expected to handle. "

"Other schools right across Narracan have been short-changed by the Brumby government's investment in education. For example, Warragul Regional College students still use the same toilet facilities that were part of the school in 1969, when I was a student there. These schools are left to do the best with minimal investment under increasing pressure from the government to provide first class education with deteriorating facilities. "

"A $52 million commitment over five years to ensure that fuel-reduction burns meet prescribed levels across regional Victoria is certainly welcome. Areas throughout Narracan, including Walhalla, Rawson and Erica, as well as Nudgee and Neerim, will benefit from this commitment. Unfortunately for many, it is too little, too late. Despite the recommendations of the 2003 and 2006 bushfire inquiries to increase fuel reduction burning, they are only now being taken seriously. We had to have devastation on a huge scale before the Brumby government would act. "

"When is the government going to act on other recommendations from these inquiries, such as sharing the cost of boundary fencing? Put simply, when is it going to become a good neighbour? Other Victorians are expected to be responsible and accept responsibility for sharing the cost of fencing. "

"In the recent bushfires, many farmers in the Labertouche area suffered a massive loss of boundary fencing that they shared with government agencies, the full replacement cost of which they have had to wear. In one extreme case Mark and Lee McGuffie have had to replace 29 kilometres of boundary fencing they currently share with Parks Victoria, Melbourne Water and the Baw Baw shire. The work has cost them nearly $300 000 and is on top of all the other costs of around $400 000 for reinstating their property to its pre-fire condition. There is absolutely nothing in this budget for these hardworking farming families who suffered terribly as a result of the Black Saturday fires. "

"Infrastructure investment in Narracan has again been left out in the cold under this budget in favour of the Labor government's city-centric development policy. According to the 1997 VicRoads corridor strategy for the Princes Highway east, the Sand Road-Princes Freeway intersection should have been completed before the completion of the Pakenham bypass. "

"An ad hoc upgrade to the intersection has resulted in frequent accidents at the intersection as vehicles attempt to merge onto the freeway or cross to travel in the opposite direction. With fuel stations flanking each side of the freeway, this intersection receives major use from both motorists and commercial operators. "

>> ADJOURNED UNTIL 10/06/2009 Continued Below <<

"It is with pleasure that I rise to continue my contribution to the debate on the Appropriation (2009/2010) Bill. This budget will deliver $3 billion in investment for infrastructure and transport development across the state, $2.07 billion of which will be public transport-related expenditure. However, the effect that will be felt by people in the Narracan electorate will be more hardship, because the Victorian transport plan indicates that it is the Brumby government's intention to terminate Gippsland train services at Flinders Street station, which will create massive inconvenience for Gippsland commuters. "

"That will be done purely to improve services for metropolitan commuters and regional centre train travellers from Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo. There is absolutely no excuse for this blatant disregard for Gippsland families specifically to benefit other Victorians. "

"Narracan residents who use the Lardners Track level crossing have also been ignored in the budget. Their safety will continue to be compromised every time they use that dangerous crossing because the Minister for Public Transport continues to refuse to acknowledge the danger and fund the upgrade. Another significant and job-generating infrastructure project that could easily have been funded and identified as a shovel-ready economic stream stimulus is the sealing of Southface Road. This has enormous potential from a safety, tourism and broader economic benefit. It would value add the money provided by the timber industry initially and the state government in funding the completion of construction of the road. "

"Southface Road has a strategically important status for the safety of Erica, Rawson, Walhalla and Mount Baw Baw residents, particularly should a major event restrict access in and out of these towns. This is very relevant given the increased fire activity experienced in this area in recent summers. Southface Road has created a touring transport loop which provides a much-needed boost to the tourism industry in the region. It also has opened up Mount Baw Baw resort to the communities of East Gippsland. The sealing of this road would really enhance safety and encourage even more visitors to the area during the snow season as the road surface would be vastly improved. The sealing of the road would also reduce the maintenance required, especially during the winter months. "

"The Brumby government's spin machine consistently promotes the lie that the government is building a better Victoria, but with no major projects that will benefit our region it is once more very evident that it is still only interested in building a better Melbourne. "

"Again, we see record spending on police services of $1.9 billion. That is a welcome investment at any time, but as I said after last year's budget, we still struggle in towns and communities such as Neerim South, Drouin and Trafalgar, in which rapid population growth is occurring and which have 16-hour police stations. Just last week Sergeant Craig Watts of Neerim South police was forced to write to his local community, advising them to call 000 after hours. He and his colleagues had been arriving at the police station to start their shift each morning, often to find their message service crammed with messages requesting help with incidents that had occurred during the time the station was unmanned. "

"Under current arrangements, due to government funding shortfalls, this is 8 hours per day. That equates to at least 56 hours per week that the Neerim and district community does not have police available. This is an unacceptable situation which should have been tackled long before this budget allocation was announced. It still has not been looked at seriously by the Brumby government. "

"Though Warragul has a 24-hour police station, too often its members are unable to attend to more remote communities where 16 hour stations operate because of the demand on their services from the larger town centres. "

"Moe police and their D24 communications branch are still in limbo with no clear timetable under this budget for an expanded use of the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority's Ballarat communications centre, which would allow an increased police presence in the community instead of trained operational police being used as call centre operators. Narracan needs improved services to ensure that as our towns expand we can meet the needs of those moving to the region. Schools, hospitals, roads, rail and town infrastructure are all of critical importance to regional towns, as local communities seek to ensure that they are not left behind by this city-centric Brumby government. "

"In recent years West Gippsland hospital has been struggling to cope with increasing demand. I have raised this matter with the Minister for Health in this house on many occasions. The emergency department and the midwifery ward in particular are constantly under enormous pressure. No funding has been provided for a level 1 nursery, which would guarantee 24-hour qualified nursing care for newborn babies and their mothers. "

"This year well over 800 babies will be born at the hospital. Just last week a newborn baby, Ryley Gunn, arrived four weeks prematurely. He needed extra care but, because of the current status of the nursery, the care he required could not be provided. The staff then had the difficult task of finding a hospital that could provide mother and baby with the appropriate care; this proved very difficult. At one stage it looked as though mother and baby would have to be flown to Adelaide but eventually finished up in Frankston. "

"For over a week Jess Gunn was separated from her son, Ryley, and had to travel to Frankston Hospital every day to be with him, yet Jess and Clint live in Trafalgar, 15 minutes from the West Gippsland hospital. It is an absolute disgrace that these young parents and the staff at the hospital had to be put under such enormous stress and added pressure because the Brumby government would not fund a level 1 nursery at the Warragul hospital. "

"I live with the hope that the minister can address this situation in the next round of funding allocation for our hospitals later this year. Sadly the people of Narracan can be absolutely certain of one very disappointing outcome of this budget. They may have missed out on a number of very important projects, but there is no doubt they will all share in the massive debt this government is imposing on all Victorians -- a staggering $31 billion within three years. "

"The Premier and this budget should have delivered for all Victorians. Although I welcome those few funding initiatives promised for the people of Narracan, the reality is that regional communities in Gippsland and my electorate of Narracan have been severely short-changed by the Brumby Labor government yet again. Narracan has missed out on projects and scored much more in per-capita debt. "

"I say to the Premier that there are no more excuses, that the people of Narracan deserve far more than the spin and deceit they are getting instead of the action they need. "