Friday 19 January 2018
Communities along Victoria’s state borders will benefit from the services of a dedicated Cross Border Commissioner under an elected Liberal Nationals government.
People living and working in Victoria’s border communities alongside New South Wales and South Australia face unique problems including with access to services licencing and coordination of emergency services.
Shadow Minister for Regional Victoria and Decentralisation Peter Walsh is in Mildura today to make the announcement.
“A lot changes when you travel across the border and for our business owners and residents in border communities this is an added complication to everyday life” Mr Walsh said.
“It means our tradespeople have to get two separate licences to operate their business while farmers and transport operators require two separate permits to move agricultural equipment.
“It also makes it harder for our police officers and emergency services to share the information they need to do their job.
“An elected Liberal Nationals government would ensure our communities have a dedicated Cross Border Commissioner based in regional Victoria to identify and solve these problems.”
Areas the Cross Border Commissioner would focus on include regulation and licensing legal systems emergency services and service delivery.
“The Liberal Nationals want to make it easier for border communities to go about their business” Mr Walsh said.
“New South Wales already has a Cross Border Commissioner and has signed agreements with both Queensland and the ACT.
“It’s time for Victoria to take action to resolve our cross border issues with South Australia and New South Wales.”