Media Releases

Clear expectations for organisations that engage with carers have been welcomed by Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh.
“The Carers Recognition Bill 2012 which covers all carers, including young carers, kinship and foster carers has been introduced into State Parliament,” Mr Walsh said.
“This completes the honouring of another election commitment and addresses a long standing gap in our acceptance of the role of carers in our community.
“Over 700,000 Victorians are caring for a family member or friend with a disability, mental or chronic illness or someone frail aged.
“Carers need to be recognised for the enormous contribution they are making to the community and deserve our full support.”
“Family carers save the Australian Federal Government more than $40 billion every year and many struggle with the demands of the role. This legislation will help carers gain better support when dealing with agencies and organisations,” Mr Walsh said.
Community Services Minister, Mary Wooldridge said that the Bill which she outlined in Parliament will raise the status of these carers and care relationships in the community and sets out principles recognising carers for their contribution.
Ms Wooldridge said the Bill would bring Victoria into line with legislation in other states and territories and the Commonwealth.
“However, the Bill is unique in recognising care relationships. Carers and the people they care for are in a shared arrangement and if the care relationship is strong, the carer and the person being cared for will have better lives,” Ms Wooldridge said.
“This approach to recognising the significance of care relationships has been the subject of extensive consultation.”
The legislation requires government and funded agencies to reflect the care relationship principles in the conduct of their business and report annually on the actions they have taken to comply with the principles.
The Victorian Charter “Supporting People in Care Relationships’ will be updated to reflect the new legislation and will support implementation of the Bill.

Survey work by Victorian Government fisheries scientists over the last two months has revealed some great fishing opportunities in the Campaspe and Loddon rivers, Gunbower Creek and Kow Swamp.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Peter Walsh said the surveys were part of the Coalition Government’s $1.35 million Building Northern Native Fisheries project that would deliver improved angler access and boost fish stocks.
“The biggest Murray cod encountered was a 104cm giant in Gunbower Creek, which was in great condition and swam away strongly after having its details recorded,” Mr Walsh said.
Member for Rodney Paul Weller said Gunbower Creek had long been known as a trophy Murray cod fishery by freshwater anglers and the survey work confirmed that reputation was well deserved.
“Scientists also found undersize and legal size Murray cod in the Gunbower, golden perch to 53cm and many silver perch, which are fully protected in this water,” Mr Weller said.
“The Campaspe River revealed Murray cod to 90cm at Elmore and plenty of legal size golden perch between Rochester and Axedale.
“The Loddon River yielded Murray cod to 70cm at Bridgewater with one of 87cm sampled below Laanecoorie Reservoir near the town. At Kow Swamp, golden perch were abundant ranging from 10 to 45cm.”
Mr Weller said while large Murray cod were encountered, which was exciting news for anglers, there were locations where spawning had not occurred in recent years.
“This suggests that environmental conditions have not been ideal and that stocking is a viable option to boost populations, replace missing year classes and provide long term fishing opportunities,” Mr Weller said.
“This summer we will release more Murray cod into the weir pools of these rivers and more golden perch more broadly along river stretches. In these four waters, native fish stocking will rise from 195,000 to 530,000 this year and for the next two years.”

Another 333,000 Murray cod fingerlings have been stocked into Lake Eildon as part of the ‘Murray cod Million’ project funded by recreational fishing licence fees.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Peter Walsh said this second batch of Murray cod took the tally to 666,000 extra fingerlings in addition to the 50,000 cod the lake normally received each year.
“We have already heard of small Murray cod between 12-18cm being caught by bait anglers fishing from the shore at Fraser National Park,” Mr Walsh said.
“These young Murray cod are a strong indication some of our fingerlings from the first year’s big release in 2011 have survived and are growing well.”
Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Industries and Member for Benalla Bill Sykes said smaller stockings over recent decades had already created a reliable Murray cod fishery in Lake Eildon.
“Fisheries Victoria released over 700,000 Murray cod between 1994 and 2010 and these fish are providing some exciting fishing opportunities for expert cod anglers and beginners now,” Dr Sykes said.
“Fish of 55 to 65cm are increasingly common with a few reports of trophy fish around one metre being landed.
“Cod catches are coming from throughout the lake too, not just the Delatite Arm, which is the traditional home of native fish in Lake Eildon.
“Big River and Goughs Bay have also produced a number of legal sized cod this summer for anglers prospecting the shoreline.”
The legal minimum size for Murray cod is 60cm and the maximum size is one metre. A bag limit of two applies along with an annual closed season during September, October and November.

Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) customers will benefit from a customer service centre upgrade to its Pyramid Hill office that was today opened by the Minister for Water and Nationals Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh.
Two years in the making, the upgrade now provides a one-stop-shop for over 3000 customers in the region to contact their local office for all their water enquiries.
Mr Walsh said the building was an expression of confidence and commitment to the local community and Loddon Valley irrigation area.
“A purpose-built facility such as this assists in enhancing communication between GMW customers and staff, who are also part of the local community,” Mr Walsh said.
“The upgraded centre is now equipped to cater for all customer enquiries for over 3000 GMW customers in the region, from a single building.”
The $680,000 service centre is also equipped for growth. It can house both the 30 current staff and has the potential to accommodate future roles as the industry changes.
The Pyramid Hill region is located in Victoria’s wheat-growing area also notable for its vineyards, orchards and dairy industry.

Water Minister Peter Walsh today launched a pipeline providing reliable water supply for 105 land owners and 65 rural houses covering an area the size of 37,000 hectares.
In Pompapiel for the launch, Mr Walsh said the project now provided the community with improved quality, reliability and convenience of year round water supply.
Mr Walsh said the project would give greater confidence to local irrigators, who had borne the brunt of federal Labor’s water buybacks and the Brumby Labor Government’s decision to build the north south pipeline.
“This new pipeline is an expression of confidence and commitment to the local communities and local industry,” Mr Walsh said.
“It represents a significant investment in our regional communities and environment through improved water delivery service levels and reduced water losses.
“The new pipeline replaces an open channel and weir system that has been in operation since 1884. It was extremely inefficient and is now replaced by 146km of pressurised pipeline including a pump station at the off-take from the Waranga Western Channel.”
The cost of the pipeline was projected at $16.4 million and was completed on time and under budget.
Goulburn-Murray Water chairman Llew Vale said it was a significant achievement for such a large-scale project.
“Goulburn-Murray Water is proud to have led the development of this advanced pipeline system, which will provide better water quality and more reliable delivery,” Mr Vale said.
The two-year project was jointly funded by Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project ($9.42 million), Coliban Water ($2.43 million), Regional Development Victoria ($2.13 million) and Goulburn-Murray Water customers ($2.4 million).
The project delivers benefits to both the environment, through better waterway management and water savings and to GMW customers, through improved quality, reliability and convenience of year-round water supply.

The NSW and Victorian governments have today expressed deep disappointment at Federal Labor’s decision to reinstate water buybacks in the southern Murray Darling Basin.
The Ministers said the decision was misguided, misinformed and was a clear breach of previous commitments.
NSW Primary Industry Minister Katrina Hodgkinson said the Federal Labor Government continued to decimate Murray Darling Basin communities with its ad-hoc and bullish approach to water buybacks in the Basin.
“The community is astonished by this Federal decision, and rightly so; it further demonstrates just how out of touch Federal Government is,” Ms Hodgkinson said.
“NSW has been waiting for four long years for promised infrastructure funding and we are still waiting - despite a ‘promise’ from Tony Burke that the agreement would be ready for signature before Christmas last year,” Ms Hodgkinson said.
Mr Walsh said while Craig Knowles was out doing the rounds talking about infrastructure, the Commonwealth was busy announcing it was going to purchase water. “There is a deceptive disconnect between what the Commonwealth is saying and what they’re doing,” Mr Walsh said.
“Victoria has been calling for more investment in environmental works and measures; like irrigators, the Commonwealth water holder needs to use its water entitlements efficiently.
Ministers Walsh and Hodgkinson reaffirm their commitment to genuine reform for the Murray Darling Basin and call on Minister Burke to honour the promises he has made to the communities of the Basin.

The revitalisation of the Swan Hill Riverfront precinct will be a step closer to reality from 27 March with the removal of the redundant railway line from the Murray River foreshore.
Minister for Public Transport, Terry Mulder said the removal of the rail line marks a positive step forward to create a significant community space.
“While the land has not been used for transport for many years, the removal of the disused track will deliver an opportunity to develop the foreshore to strengthen the Swan Hill community for the long term.
“With the Swan Hill Rural City Council intending on commencing a strategic master planning process for the riverfront this year, the many economic and social benefits of this precinct will soon be canvassed with the Swan Hill community,” said Minister Mulder.
Minister for Water and Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh welcomed the remediation works to be undertaken by VicTrack to remove the old spur line.
“The Council first made plans to revitalise the riverfront in 1996, and I’m delighted to say that we’re one step closer to a new waterfront development that the community completely deserves,” Mr Walsh said.
“The works will involve the removal of the rail track from the road reserve between the end of the line at Hastings Street, to just before the McCallum Street crossing.
“The Council and VicTrack are progressing a land swap deal critical to the future development of the river precinct,” said Mr Walsh.
VicTrack is funding the $20,000 remediation project as part of the sale agreement. The works are scheduled to be completed by the end of the week.

Safety and access to taxi services in Swan Hill will be boosted with a $168,630 grant Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, announced today.
“This funding has been provided by the Victorian Government through the Minister for Transport, Terry Mulder’s, office and is a significant boost to the redevelopment project of Campbell Street,” Mr Walsh said.
“It is going to be a major boost for both taxi drivers and passengers providing a much safer facility giving far better and more user friendly amenities for everyone.
“It is more than 30 years since the last developments took place and these improvements will provide a state-of-the-art facility for Swan Hill,” he said.
Safety will be upgraded with CCTV surveillance, upgraded lighting and road alterations to ensure better separation of pedestrians and traffic.
There will also be more prominent signage, improved seating and a shade shelter to make the rank a more comfortable place to wait.
Tactile surface indicators and the lowering of the curb to ensure wheelchair passengers have better access to taxis will also be included.
The funding was awarded to Swan Hill Rural City Council through the third round of the $4 million Taxi Rank Safety Program (TRSP), announced by Minister Mulder in October.
Minister Mulder said the TRSP was making real improvements to taxi rank safety and amenity all over Victoria.
“So far the Taxi Rank Safety Program has allocated over $1.5 million to councils across the state.”
“This round an extra $840,000 has been allocated across 13 municipalities.
“The TRSP is part of the Coalition Government’s commitment building better taxi services for passengers, taxi drivers and the local community,” Mr Mulder said.

Victorian Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business Louise Asher today joined with Bega Cheese in Dubai to announce a significant $7.8 million expansion of the company’s Tatura facility in northern Victoria, generating added investment and jobs in the dairy industry.
The iconic Australian dairy brand and its wholly owned subsidiary Tatura Milk Industries will expand the Tatura cream cheese facility in response to increasing market opportunities in the Middle East.
The $7.8 million project includes increasing Tatura’s production capacity of cream cheese from 15,000 tonnes to 22,000 tonnes per annum.
Ms Asher and the CEO of Bega Cheese Aidan Coleman announced the expansion to assembled buyers, delegates and media at the annual Gulfood trade fair in Dubai, one of the largest food and beverage shows in the world.
“This announcement is a clear sign of the strength of Victoria’s dairy industry, and in particular, the opportunities present for our clean, safe and reliable dairy exports to the Middle East region,” Ms Asher said.
“I am pleased Bega Cheese has recognised the opportunities in the Middle Eastern market and has joined me on Victoria’s largest ever trade mission to the region. More than 100 other companies and organisations in strategic industries such as food and beverage, agribusiness, infrastructure and water management have accompanied the Victorian Coalition Government on this trade mission.”
Minister for Agriculture and Food Security Peter Walsh welcomed the announcement in Melbourne and said Victorian exports of dairy product to the Middle East and North Africa grew by almost 18 per cent from 2009-10 to 2010-11 and were worth $272 million.
“Victoria accounts for 87 per cent of the value of Australia’s dairy exports and has a reputation second to none in terms of both quality and quantity of product available,” Mr Walsh said.
“Bega Cheese’s Tatura facility will need an extra 30 to 40 million litres of milk per year once the expansion is running at full capacity in three years. This will be a great boost to northern Victoria’s dairy producers.”
The Tatura facility has been producing cream cheese and specialty frozen milk-fat ingredients for more than 30 years, and exports dairy products to key markets in the Gulf region, including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Bega Cheese Chief Executive Aidan Coleman said the expansion had been a 12 month project and would generate added investment and jobs in the dairy industry, and further drive innovation and export outcomes.
“This follows our purchase and investment in the former Kraft site at Strathmerton, which has significantly increased our production capacity in northern Victoria,” Mr Coleman said.
“We are proud to be working with the Victorian Coalition Government on these ongoing trade and investment projects, including the Dairy Nutriceuticals to Asia Program which aims to significantly increase our export of infant formula, and other nutritional powders to Asia and the Middle East.”

The Victorian Government will provide a grant of $800,000 over 4 years to support a leadership program for the Loddon Murray region’s brightest talent, Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, announced today.
Representing Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional and Rural Development, Peter Ryan, Mr Walsh said the annual Loddon Murray Community Leadership Program would cater for up to 25 emerging and current business and community leaders from the region.
“The Loddon Murray Community Leadership Program is a highly successful program that focuses on local issues and opportunities within the region,” Mr Walsh said.
“It comprises 24 days of intense activity including workshops, seminars, industry visits and weekend seminars as well as a graduation evening.
“Mentoring, reflection and experiential education are all important aspects of the program.
“The participants visit each of the Loddon Murray’s nine LGAs at least once during the program as well as Melbourne and Canberra.
“Within 12 months of completion, utilising their new skills and networks, graduates participate in projects that benefit local communities.”
Mr Ryan said the program made a significant contribution to the leadership of the Loddon Murray region.
“Many communities are doing it tough after more than 10 years of natural disasters and the program takes into account barriers to participation such as distance, income levels and farm/family responsibilities,” Mr Ryan said.
“Communities need a diverse range of leaders and people from all backgrounds are welcome to participate regardless of academic or professional standing.”
“The Regional Community Leadership Program strengthens the leadership capacity of businesses and community organisations in regional and rural Victoria and facilitates the emergence of local leaders,” he said.