State Budget 2024-25 – The Nationals Victoria
Jacinta Allan’s first budget has confirmed that Labor can’t manage money and regional Victorians are paying the price.
Households already grappling with the cost of living crisis have been given no meaningful relief, and will instead be hit hard by dramatic increases to both the fire services and waste levies.
At the same time, the impact of huge blowouts on city infrastructure projects will continue to be felt in the regions, with funding in crucial areas such as roads and agriculture lagging behind past levels.
Our crumbling roads are deteriorating further, with road maintenance funding in this year’s Budget 16 per cent lower than in 2020. The real cost of road repairs has also skyrocketed, meaning regional Victorians will be navigating pothole-ridden roads for years to come.
Deputy Leader Emma Kealy and myself on Budget day.
The Nationals had pledged to spend $1 billion a year on road maintenance, a commitment that the Allan Labor Government has fallen woefully short of, allocating less than $700 million as the crisis worsens.
The agriculture sector, a vital component of our regional economies, has also been neglected. The $496.6 million allocated in the budget is almost 30 per cent lower than what was allocated in 2022-23, further jeopardising the livelihoods of our hardworking farmers and agricultural communities.
To compound these issues, key hospital projects in regional areas like Maryborough and Swan Hill have been delayed, and sweeping hospital mergers are on the table, leaving our communities to grapple with inadequate healthcare facilities.
It is clear the Allan Labor Government can’t manage money and regional Victorians are paying the price.
PETER WALSH MP
Leader of The Nationals
Deputy Leader of the Opposition