The Nationals leader Peter Walsh has released his wish list for 2021; and there is a strong focus on getting regional Victoria a better deal. Mr Walsh said the pandemic has been a glaring example of how little the capital city-based powerbrokers truly don’t get regional life in general and cross border communities in particular.…
Our year is ending with another reminder the trials of 2020 and the pandemic are not going away any time soon. Even as I was writing this; governments in Victoria, NSW and South Australia were rolling out new restrictions, from a hard border between SA and NSW to Victoria going back to mandatory masks. Sadly…
Our farmers and food manufacturers will be working hard through Christmas to make sure there’s food on Victorian tables and barbecues and the new Agriculture Minister should be hitting the ground running as well. A lack of leadership on key challenges affecting our farmers and regional communities has seen the problems getting worse. Mary-Anne Thomas…
The year started with smoke blanketing a vast swathe of our state. Images of Victoria burning were beamed into households across Australia – the scenes were scary and the loss of life, livestock, wildlife, and property was devastating and horrific. The scars it’s left on lives and livelihoods, the landscape and communities will be felt…
Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes struggled to answer basic questions on critical issues affecting Victorian farmers at Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC) hearings today. The Minister was grilled for answers on why our farmers still can’t get seasonal workers on-farm and on the Andrews Labor Government’s policy to ban Victoria’s native timber industry by 2030.…
A rurally-based program focussed on creating the next generation of regional leaders has been given a last-minute lifeline after pressure from the Liberal Nationals. Victoria’s regional leadership programs were left in limbo again this year, with no certainty from the Andrews Labor Government that they would be funded in the 2020-21 State Budget. Shadow Minister…
THE Nationals Member for Murray Plains – and Shadow Agriculture Minister – Peter Walsh has condemned Victorian Government plans to reintroduce dingoes to the Grampians National Park. Mr Walsh described the multi-million-dollar proposal as “beyond absurd” when the same government is spending millions to try and manage the devastation caused by wild dogs across the…
THE Nationals Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh has congratulated Gannawarra Shire on its funding to expand its children’s care centre to meet increasing demand and preparation for a funded three-year-old kindergarten. Mr Walsh said the expansion will allow not only maintain the centre’s long day care places it will ensure its overall viability once…
A more than $200 million Commonwealth rescue package will revive the Murray Basin Rail Project after it was derailed by the Andrews Labor Government. The Federal Liberal and Nationals investment, announced today, includes $195.2 million to fix the mess left by Labor’s Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan, with a further $5 million for planning for…
THE Andrews Labor Government has refused to oppose a push by an extreme anti-hunting group to ban duck shooting, raising questions on whether there will be a season in 2021. The Coalition Against Duck Shooting is running a negative campaign to discredit Victoria’s law-abiding, legitimate hunters. Asked in State Parliament this week to stand up…