THE height of disrespect is for any government to ignore the very people it represents.
A very real example of this is the Allan Labor Government bulldozing through new laws allowing the government, transmission firms, and energy distributors to seize farmland for power lines, without approval.
These new powers were hurried through without the Government undertaking any community engagement.
So it comes as no surprise recent data revealed 50 per cent of Victorians said they felt “mostly” or “completely” unheard by government, and of those who felt completely unheard, 29 per cent were from regional Victoria.
Regional Victorians have been ignored by Labor since it came to government in 2014. The independent Budget Office confirms regional Victorians currently receive only 12 per cent of the state’s infrastructure investment despite being home to 25 per cent of the population.
Labor has done nothing to fix and upgrade regional roads, sat on its hands on regional crime and firebombings, ripped millions of economic benefits from the regions by cancelling the Commonwealth Games, allowed housing to drop to record lows, done nothing on fuel shortages, and turned a blind eye on $15 billion of CFMEU corruption – $15 billion that could have gone to roads, schools and hospitals in regional Victoria.
The Nationals will always fight for regional Victoria and ensure it gets its fair share.
Regional Victorians deserve to be heard and will get the chance to remove the Allan Labor Government, at this year’s November election.
Danny O’Brien
Leader of The Nationals, Victoria
