Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell also weighed in on the budget outcomes, saying they will impact families, farmers and small businesses across the region.
He accused Labor of breaking tax promises, arguing it undermined trust and would leave regional Australians paying more.
“This is a budget of broken promises, higher taxes, more debt, lower living standards and fewer homes for Australians,” Mr Birrell said.
“The Albanese Government’s spending is still out of control, and they are raising taxes and cutting from regions to fund it.”
Ms Cleeland said Victoria’s debt was climbing towards $200 billion, with interest repayments now costing taxpayers around $11.8 billion a year, or roughly $1.35 million every hour.
She said that money was not being spent on roads, hospitals, schools or frontline services, and that families across regional Victoria were already feeling the strain through rising costs, worsening infrastructure and reduced services.
“Victoria cannot continue down a path of record debt without a plan to restore economic stability and deliver value for taxpayers,” Ms Cleeland said.
“The Nationals believe we need a long-term plan to secure Victoria’s economic future — one that restores financial discipline, invests fairly in regional communities, and focuses on essential services and productive infrastructure instead of endless bureaucracy and waste.
“Regional Victoria deserves more than being treated as an afterthought.”
Across the budget, regional Australians face at least $11 billion in cuts, including $6.15 billion from the Inland Rail project, $4.7 billion from infrastructure spending, $103 million from the National Water Grid, $191.6 million from pest and disease control, regional trade and drought funding for farmers, and $21.4 million from regional communications funding.
Mr Birrell said Labor’s “new taxes” would result in 35,000 fewer homes being built, and claimed small businesses will also be hit.
“The argument that this is about intergenerational equity is a fallacy because young Australians are going to be paying for this government’s reckless spending for most of their working lives,” Mr Birrell said.
He also noted that after more than a year of highlighting gaps in regional funding programs, Labor had funded new rounds for the Growing Regions program (projects up to $15 million) and Stronger Communities program (smaller community projects up to $20,000).
However, he said these funds were not enough to deliver productivity-building infrastructure in the regions, arguing regional infrastructure spending had again been cut.
Regional leaders say the budget has once again highlighted the growing divide between metropolitan priorities and the needs of country communities.
