“The people of the Goulburn Valley have waited long enough for the Shepparton bypass and if Labor is serious about this project — one it has constantly stalled and obfuscated — it must put its money where its mouth is and include its share in tomorrow’s state budget,” he said.
The News reported this week that the Victorian and Australian governments were at a legal impasse over the release of the bypass business case. The Victorian Government has also pointed out that the $208 million federal commitment to the project has not appeared in any budget or forward estimates.
A Victorian Government spokeswoman said the tit-for-tat could end if the Federal Government released the business case.
“The fact of the matter is only one government has invested in the planning for this project — and that is the Victorian Government,” she said.
“Instead of deliberately deceiving his community as a smokescreen for not being able to deliver his election commitments, we suggest Mr Drum gets on the phone to the Deputy Prime Minister and releases the business case, so the community can know the facts.”
State Member for Northern Victoria Mark Gepp will make the Maude St Mall announcement prior to Treasurer Tim Pallas handing down his budget.
The Federal Government has already contributed $8.575 million from the Building Better Regions Fund to the project. Greater Shepparton City Council was funding the balance including through more than $3.53 million of new borrowings forecast in the 2021-22 draft budget.
In another pre-budget announcement, the Victorian Government has confirmed $6.4 million will be allocated to manage Queensland fruit fly and protect horticultural production and jobs.
State Agriculture Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said $5.3 million would be available in grants for Victoria’s three key horticultural regions: the Goulburn Murray, Yarra Valley and Sunraysia.
“These grants will fund regional fruit fly co-ordinators to deliver on-ground help to manage Queensland fruit fly such as monitoring, community awareness programs, hot spot management and trialling of new techniques for improved management,” she said.
State Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh and state Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell both said the funding fell short of what was needed and was a cut of more than $2 million over four years.
“Cutting millions from biosecurity shows years of multi-billion-dollar cost blowouts and poor management of the COVID pandemic has come back to bite the Andrews Labor government. But it’s our farmers who are wearing the consequences,” Mr Walsh said.
State Member for Shepparton Suzanna Sheed welcomed the the fruit fly commitment.
“This funding will continue the employment of our regional fruit fly co-ordinators, who do so much to support our farmers and urban communities,” she said.
A total of $10.7 million has already been announced to fund stage two of Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE’s Goulburn Murray Trades Skills Centre in Shepparton.
