Media Releases

With Responsible Gambling Awareness Week launched this week Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, is urging all people to take a responsible approach to gambling.
“Responsible Gambling Awareness Week is about raising awareness of the importance of a responsible approach to gambling at a personal, venue and community level,” Mr Walsh said.
“Gambling is a significant social and economic issue and the government is committed to promoting a responsible, sustainable and transparent approach to the industry.
“With access to gambling increasing and more and more gambling opportunities being advertised, educating the community – and especially the next generation – about the risk of gambling is vital,” he said.
“Responsible Gambling Awareness Week is a great opportunity to highlight the challenges and the assistance that is available to Victorians to enable people to enjoy gambling responsibly.”
Minister for Liquor and Gaming Regulation, Edward O’Donohue, when launching Responsible Gambling Awareness Week also introduced the newly-developed Responsible Gambling Guide.
The new Responsible Gambling Guide is a booklet that tackles some of the myths and realities of gambling in Victoria, while outlining what problem gambling is and the help that is available.
“As Minister for Liquor and Gaming Regulation, I recognise the impact that problem gambling can have on people’s lives and on the community, and the importance of education about how to gamble responsibly,” Mr O’Donohue said.
“The government has committed $150 million over four years to the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation which is the highest level of such funding in Australia and thought to be the highest, per capita, around the world.”
Responsible Gambling Awareness Week has been held in Victoria since 2006 and is run by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation in partnership with the gaming industry, community groups and local government.
For more information about Responsible Gambling Awareness Week, Mr Walsh is encouraging gamblers to visit the website www.rgaw.com.au/

Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, has welcomed the Victorian Government’s 2013/14 budget handed down today by Treasurer Michael O’Brien.
“This is an extremely responsible economic statement which sets the foundations for the State and, in particular, our region’s growth for many years to come,” Mr Walsh said.
“Record infrastructure spending across the state will boost economic growth, productivity and liveability for all Victorians.
“The $170 million committed to road maintenance over the next 3 years will go a long way to overcoming the decade of neglect of the previous Labor Government and the subsequent degradation of our roads. A state of affairs we are all well familiar with.
“Reforms to the Fire Services Levy (FSL) will see a much fairer property levy introduced whereby all property owners will be paying their fair share of the contribution to the fire services not just those who take out insurance,’ Mr Walsh said.
“Record funding in health, education, skill development and support for pre school aged children are all features of this budget which will be welcomed by families across the electorate.
Further budget initiatives include
• $4.2 million supports Victoria’s contribution to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA), bringing the total to be paid to the MDBA in 2013-14 to $30.65 million.
• Included is $3 million which will go towards the development of modelling in relation to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan to minimise the complexity of water sharing arrangements and ensure the maximum volume of offsets are identified
• The River Red Gums program has received almost $2.3 million to go towards employing 13 park rangers and 11 field service officers to manage our important River Red Gum parks
• The Government’s planned burning program, as recommended by the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission, will be expanded thanks to $33.7 million over the next two years
• An $8 million tourism campaign to drive regional tourism and raise awareness interstate and internationally of Victoria’s regional attractions
• A further $61 million for upgrades and replacements of rural fire stations
• Support for first home buyers and subsequent job creation in the housing construction industry has been boosted with the First Home Owners Grant now to $10,000 for newly constructed properties and a reduction in stamp duty from 1 July 2013.
“Outside the budget the Regional Growth Fund has directly delivered in excess of $25 million, and stimulated much more, in projects throughout the Swan Hill electorate since its inception,” Mr Walsh said.
“Along with support to our local Councils through such things as the Roads and Bridges fund in which each Council is getting approximately $1 million a year, the Local Government Infrastructure Fund (LGIF) where each Council is getting approximately $2.5 million of discretionary funding over the four years and the $7.8 million Roadside Weeds and Pest Program our communities are continuing to benefit from Coalition investment in our region,” he said.
“Previously announced projects such as the Charlton Hospital ($22.7 million), the new Kerang Hospital ($34 million) and the Swan Hill Aged Care Unit ($18 million) projects are massive health investments in the Swan Hill electorate and more are planned for the future.
“Since the 1st January this year I have had the pleasure of announcing or opening approximately $10 million worth of projects in the Swan Hill electorate,” Mr Walsh said.
“This budget has set the basis for the long term revival of our great State and I congratulate Treasurer O’Brien particularly for his belief and vision in rural and regional Victoria.”

Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, has welcomed confirmation of one of the State’s biggest tax reforms in today’s budget with the new property based Fire Service Levy.
“This is the biggest tax reform in Victoria in decades and will benefit property owners across the electorate,” Mr Walsh said.
“The Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission found the existing insurance-based levy was highly flawed, unfair and needed reform and introducing the Fire Services Property Levy in place of the old insurance-based levy was a key recommendation of the Commission,” Mr Walsh said.
“The Levy funds the personnel, training, infrastructure and equipment that is on permanent standby to provide firefighting and rescue services for all Victorians.
“It is fair and proper that all property owners, not just those who adequately insure, should make a contribution towards keeping our fire services going,” Mr Walsh said.
Under the current system those property owners who choose not to insure or under insure make no contribution to funding the State’s fire services.
From July 1 the new property levy will see the region’s average insured household’s contribution for fire services reduced as follows:
LOCAL GOVT   EST. 2011-12 INS FSL   EST. 2013 -14 PROP FSL
Buloke                               $203                                      $112
Gannawarra                      $204                                      $119
Loddon                              $200                                      $112
Northern Grampians         $216                                       $117
Swan Hill                           $206                                      $122
Yarriambiack                     $201                                      $110

“Eligible pensioners and veterans who were denied concessions under the insurance based FSL, will now receive a concession of $50," Mr Walsh said.
“The property-based levy will not incur stamp duty or GST and delivers a major tax cut for many families and businesses,” he said.

Boundary Bend and Natya residents have welcomed their new CFA stations with Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, on hand to open the two buildings today.
“These two stations will provide local brigade members with the latest in amenities and greatly enhanced training facilities,” Mr Walsh said.
“Worth $450,000 each, the stations are a vast improvement on the old tin sheds the brigades have been working out of.
“These new buildings have well-appointed kitchens, a meeting room, brigade office, toilet facilities and plenty of room for storage,” he said.
“Water tanks have also been installed which can be used for firefighting purposes if required.
“The new facilities also cater for future requirements with room for an extra appliance if the need arises.”
“The two new buildings mean the brigades, which have been active for 69 years, will be better equipped to respond to the threat of fire and continue their commitment to promoting fire safety to local residents.”
Minister for Police and Emergency Services Kim Wells said the Victorian Government was proud of the vital work performed by the CFA, one of the world’s largest volunteer organisations with more than 60,000 members.
“We are proud to support our emergency services volunteers by providing them with the facilities and equipment they need to save lives and property,” Mr Wells said.
“The Coalition Government has funded the new buildings through the Rural Fire Station Replacement Program.”
Mr Wells said 108 CFA stations would be built or refurbished by June this year as part of a Government’s commitment to build or refurbish 250 CFA stations by 2014.
“The Government has committed almost $57 million in this financial year alone to provide infrastructure improvements, including $22.9 million to deliver improved firefighting facilities.”

Local small business operators are being encouraged to make a submission to the Victorian Government’s review of the functions and powers of the Victorian Small Business Commissioner.
The review will determine how the services offered by the Commissioner can best meet the future needs of all small and medium sized businesses in Victoria.
Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, said the Government recognised the vital contribution that small and medium sized businesses make to the State’s economy and that not all businesses face the same competitive pressures.
“This is an excellent opportunity for local businesses to make an input into how they can best be supported by the Commissioner,” Mr Walsh said.
Over the past 10 years, the Victorian Small Business Commissioner has received more than 11,000 applications for assistance in resolving a business dispute and has successfully settled around 80 per cent of mediations.
Minister for Small Innovation, Services and Small Business Louise Asher said the Office of the Victorian Small Business Commissioner has set a national standard for dispute resolution promoting a fairer and more competitive trading environment.
“Through its role as mediator, the Office of the Commissioner has removed the onerous burden of litigation for a number of businesses and the costs, delays and distractions associated with this process,” Ms Asher said.
“This has taken the stress out of many disputes and allowed business owners to focus on the real task of running their business.
“I encourage small businesses to contribute to this review process which will establish an effective and rigorous role for the Victorian Small Business Commissioner over the coming years,” she said.
A copy of the Victorian Small Business Commissioner Consultation Paper is available at www.dbi.vic.gov.au/vsbc-consultation or contact Small Business Victoria on 13 22 15.

Residents and ratepayers of several of our Local Government areas will have their say on local government performance by taking part in the annual community satisfaction survey, Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, said today.
Four hundred local residents and ratepayers from each of the Swan Hill, Gannawarra, Loddon, Buloke and Yarriambiack Shires will be selected randomly for the telephone survey.
“I urge all those who do receive a phone call to take part,” Mr Walsh said.
“The Statewide Local Government Services Report provides valuable insight as to how well you believe your local Council is performing.
“This is a really good opportunity for people to make their views known on four main areas: council’s overall performance, community consultation, advocacy and customer service.
“It’s important that councils have this data to make any necessary improvements,” he said.
Minister for Local Government Jeanette Powell said last year’s state-wide survey showed 49% of respondents rated their councils as good or better with 36% as average.
“Another 13% rated their councils as poor or very poor and 1% couldn’t say either way,” Mrs Powell said.
While rate increases remain a significant community concern, Mrs Powell said the Coalition Government is placing downward pressure on council rates through important funding initiatives including:
• $160 million Country Roads and Bridges Program
• $1 billion Regional Growth Fund delivering $100 million for capital works projects
• $46.7 million annually, to support public libraries and
• $7.9 million for roadside pest weed and rabbit control.
For more information on the survey, visit www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/localgovernment/publications-and-research/data,-directories-and-surveys.

Deputy Premier and Leader of The Nationals Peter Ryan and Deputy Leader of The Nationals Peter Walsh have congratulated retiring Federal Nationals Member for Mallee John Forrest on his outstanding political career.
Mr Forrest, who has held the seat of Mallee since 1993, today announced he would not contest this year’s Federal election.
“John has been an exceptional Nationals representative for the people of Mallee for 20 years, strongly advocating for a number of significant projects in his electorate,” Mr Ryan said.
Mr Walsh said Mr Forrest’s legacy was his part in achieving the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline, for which he was dubbed ‘Mr Pipeline’ in Federal Parliament.
“John fought extremely hard for a number of years to see this project, worth more $650 million, come to fruition. The 9,000 kilometre pipeline, the largest water infrastructure project in Australia,
replaced a century-old inefficient channel system and has provided a secure water supply to
numerous towns throughout north-west Victoria,” Mr Walsh said.
Mr Ryan said with his background as a civil engineer, John played an important role during the
introduction of Roads to Recovery, which provides road funding directly to local government.
“John has also worked long and hard to ensure towns along the Henty Highway have access to top-quality digital TV reception. He made sure the switch from analogue to digital TV in the Mildura region occurred smoothly and did not disadvantage any residents,” Mr Ryan said.
“John strongly believes it is only fair for rural residents to have equal access to world and local news, industry issues and weather data.”
Mr Walsh said Mr Forrest always aimed to achieve the best result for his constituents, no matter how small or difficult the issue, and he specialised in taking the fight up to the big banks on behalf of those who needed a helping hand.
“John strongly pushed for the return of the single wheat desk in 2008 but was realistic when it became clear the system would not be reinstated by Labor,” Mr Walsh said.
“Rather than giving up or fighting a lost cause, John changed his focus towards how to best manage the new system and ensure growers’ reputation as high-quality wheat exporters was maintained.”
Mr Ryan and Mr Walsh wished Mr Forrest all the best for his future and thanked him for his tireless efforts representing the people of Mallee for the Nationals over the past 20 years, and for his dedication as a committed Nationals MP.

Local sufferers of strokes will be able to access rapid assessment and treatment from specialists in Melbourne under a new project funded by the Victorian Government.
Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, has welcomed funding for the project, which will be rolled out across emergency departments in the Loddon Mallee district.
The project is being led by the Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health and has been funded under the Coalition Government’s $18 million Broadband Enabled Innovation Program (BEIP).
Announced last week by Technology Minister, Gordon Rich-Phillips, the project will provide a telemedicine service allowing a stroke specialist off site to rapidly treat patients with acute stroke symptoms.
“This initiative which will be a great asset to local medical professionals,” Mr Walsh said.
“Access to specialist stroke expertise is extremely limited in our rural and regional hospitals but this project will use high-capacity broadband to allow viewing of complex brain imaging and high-quality audio visual communication to connect remote patients, their doctors and specialists.”
The funding comes just weeks after the Gillard Government introduced changes to the Medical Benefits Scheme that slashed telehealth rebates that were designed to give more Victorians timely access to specialists.
Mr Rich-Phillips said the project had the very real potential to save the lives of Victorians in regional Victoria.
“Hospitals in Bendigo, Mildura, Swan Hill and Echuca will be the first regional bases to use the highly advanced stroke telemedicine technology in the Loddon Mallee district,” Mr Rich-Phillips said.
“Stroke treatment is time critical. Enabling fast clinical decision-making and rapid treatment has the potential to make a significant difference to patient outcomes,” Mr Rich-Phillips said.

The Victorian Coalition Government today thanked Victorians for their generosity and kindness during the ongoing bushfires and encouraged those willing to help to do so via the recommended channels.
Acting Minister for Regional and Rural Development Peter Walsh said many people across Victoria had been looking for ways they can volunteer to help or donate money.
“People wishing to donate money to support the affected communities can do so through the Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund (GERF) website at www.relieffund.org.au,” Mr Walsh said.
“There are currently no calls for donations of goods such as clothing and furniture.”
Mr Walsh said people wanting to volunteer their time or skills to assist with the bushfire clean up and recovery could sign up to the Victorian Emergency Volunteer Register at www.volunteer.vic.gov.au.
“Volunteers are encouraged to register their details via this central portal, rather than by contacting local councils directly,” Mr Walsh said.
“At this stage it is important to stay away from the affected areas so that emergency services can
continue to respond effectively to the immediate threat.
“As communities move into the recovery phase and identify particular needs, local councils and
nominated community organisations will contact registered volunteers who may be able to provide assistance.”
Mr Walsh said volunteers should not feel discouraged if they were not asked to help immediately.
“Recovery from a bushfire like this can be a long and complex process and it may take some time for councils to identify specific ways that registered volunteers can assist,” Mr Walsh said.
“In the weeks and months to come, as the crucial recovery and rebuild gets underway, the contribution of volunteers with special professional and trade-related skills and experience could be invaluable.”
Mr Walsh said the Coalition Government was also working with the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) in organising a fodder drive to source and deliver donated fodder to stock owners in urgent need of supplies.
“Landholders in the Gippsland region who can donate fodder or fire-affected farmers in need of emergency fodder can contact the VFF,” Mr Walsh said.
- Emergency Volunteers are invited to register their details at: www.volunteer.vic.gov.au
- Landholders in the Gippsland region who can donate fodder should contact the VFF on 1300 882 833.
- People wishing to donate money can do so via the Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund:
    - at any branch of the National Australia Bank, BSB: 083 932, Account Number: 048299080;
    - via post to Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund, PO Box 508, TRARALGON, VIC,
AUSTRALIA, 3844; or
    - via PayPal by following the link on the GERF website – www.relieffund.org.au

Health services throughout the electorate are being hit with massive cutbacks in Federal Government funding, Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, said today.
“Federal Government funding reductions of more than $106.7 million for Victorian health services for the remainder of the 2012-13 financial year will have a significant negative impact on services to patients,” Mr Walsh said.
“These cuts have been imposed on health services with little notice, half way through the financial year, and with no consideration of its disruptive impact on budget management, staff rosters or the scheduling of clinical workload.
“They are significant and will have a serious impact on hospital operations and pose a threat to elective surgery and other important health services,” he said.
Locally, the cuts will see Swan Hill District Health lose $378,000, East Wimmera Health $139,000, Rural Northwest Health $115,000, Kerang & District Health $87,000, Inglewood and Districts Health $26,000, Boort District Health $31,000, Dunmunkle Health $14,000 and Mallee Track Health and Community Service $52,000.
“Much of the funding has already been spent and the remainder is in budgets already set and signed off on for the current financial year,” Mr Walsh said.
“The funding reduction is based on an invalid and incorrect calculation of population estimates suggesting that the Victorian population fell by 11,111 in 2011 even though Australian Bureau of Statistics show the Victorian population rose by 75,400 in the 12 months to December 2011.
“Our hospitals should not be ripped off like this on a clearly false premise, merely to prop up the Gillard Government’s budget,” Mr Walsh said.
In view of the intransigence of the Commonwealth Government and the imminence of the funding reductions, Health Service Boards have been requested to begin planning spending reduction options to minimise the impact on services.
“The Commonwealth Government must reverse its decision on retrospective and future reductions to State funding and fully commit to its obligations to our health services,” Mr Walsh said.