By Deanne Jeffers
THE Federal Budget handed down last Tuesday by Treasurer Jim Chalmers has delivered both positive and negative news for Greater Shepparton.
The budget allocated $2.2M for a much-needed upgrade to the intersection of Goulburn Valley Highway and Graham Street. This project will improve traffic flow around Goulburn Valley Health.
While welcoming the intersection upgrade, Greater Shepparton City Council mayor, Councillor Shane Sali, expressed disappointment at the lack of broader investment.
Cr Sali pointed to the absence of funding for the Shepparton Bypass and the scrapped $208M allocated by the previous government. He also highlighted the need for further investment in the Goulburn Valley Highway Corridor and other key intersections.
“Greater Shepparton is still desperately lacking in funding for the region’s major arterial roads and intersections. There is currently no further construction funding for the Goulburn Valley Highway Corridor, which is a National Highway Corridor with only $3 million allocated for development and scoping. This makes it impossible for this vital project to be undertaken,” Cr Sali said.
“We also saw $208 million cut for the Goulburn Valley Highway Shepparton Bypass in the Infrastructure Investment Review last November, which was another blow for our region.”
Sam Birrell, Federal Member for Nicholls, echoed Cr Sali’s concerns. He criticised the budget for lacking vision and failing to invest strategically in regional infrastructure. Birrell argued that such investment would have boosted productivity and addressed cost-of-living pressures.
“The opportunity was there to invest in infrastructure, particularly in the regions, that would drive productivity,” he said. “The budget should have also tackled the labour market issues and industrial relations barriers that hold back the economy.
“Instead, we have a government trying to buy its way back to another term by splashing cash to mask its inability to stop the decline in living standards for working Australians. People have gone backwards under this government and this budget risks worse outcomes for struggling households.
“The regional budget statement even attempted to spin the $1 billion dollar investment in biosecurity as a win for agriculture, despite applying a fresh food tax on producers to help pay for dealing with the risk posed by their overseas competitors,” Mr Birrell said.
He welcomed the $1B announced in the budget towards accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic violence. Council also welcomed further money allocated to Stage 3 of the Shepparton Rail Line Upgrade, with $11.4M added to the $320M already committed by the Australian Government; as well as broader budget announcements like $300 energy rebates for all households, a $3B cut to student debts, $1B to get homes built sooner on regional Victoria, and a new five-year National Agreement on social housing and homelessness.
Despite these wins, Cr Sali said Greater Shepparton is missing out on accessing Federal funding due to the Victorian Government scrapping the Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund. “Without this, there is no pathway for future projects in regional Victoria beyond the existing pipeline currently under construction,” he said.
Mr Birrell shared this sentiment. He said, “This government has struggled to roll out any of the funding already announced for regional Australia and this budget confirms that only a select few major infrastructure projects will get funded over the next seven years.”
