Tuesday 12 March 2019
The Federal Government’s action to bring new jobs to Mildura with a Murray Darling Basin Authority office has been warmly welcomed by the Victorian Liberal Nationals.
Shadow Minister for Regional Victoria and Decentralisation Peter Walsh and Shadow Minister for Water Steph Ryan said the Basin Authority office was an ideal fit for Mildura.
Encouraging population growth to regional areas needs strong action from governments at both State and Federal level so it is really pleasing to see the Commonwealth continuing to take real action to drive jobs out to regional communities ” Mr Walsh said.
“Our regional communities like Mildura have so much to offer and they gain so much even with moderate population increases so it’s imperative that governments show leadership and move public sector jobs out of the capital cities as well as attracting private investment and enterprise to the regions too.
“Daniel Andrews tries to talk up regional Victoria but his Melbourne-centric focus speaks louder than his empty words. It is time for the Victorian Labor Government to get serious about a decentralisation agenda too.
Ms Ryan said having Murray Basin Authority staff based in Victoria sent a good signal to Victorian irrigators that their concerns about the Basin Plan were being heard by the Federal Coalition Government.
“Victorian irrigators are living through some really challenging times and they want their voices to be heard so I think this is a really positive step from the Commonwealth ” Ms Ryan said.
“It means staff will be living and working in the communities that are directly affected by the Authority’s actions and decisions and that level of understanding can only serve the people of our Basin communities well.
“The Federal Coalition’s support is in stark contrast to Federal Labor who recently announced they plan on taking even more water away from Victorian irrigators.”