LOCAL leaders and representatives have demanded that tomorrow night's State Government’s Budget deliver a fair share for regional Victoria.

Lowan MP, Emma Kealy, Southern Grampians Shire Council mayor, Bruach Colliton, and Western District Health Service chief executive, Rohan Fitzgerald have called for equitable distribution of the state’s spend on roads, Hamilton hospital and local health services, infrastructure, and tourism.

Ms Kealy stated that increased spending for health, roads, housing and community infrastructure in regional Victoria must form part of the State Budget to ensure Lowan communities get their fair share.

“Regional Victoria (makes) up 25 per cent of Victoria’s population, and (it’s) time for the Andrews Labor Government to ensure this is reflected in its budget spend,” she said.

“All we ever ask for is our fair share, and it’s imperative that Labor listens to what regional Victorians need and deliver the funding required to ensure our local communities can continue to prosper and grow.

“The state of our road network is the most common issue people speak to me about, but without a substantial boost to funding for road maintenance, our community will continue to be plagued by crumbling road shoulders, yawning potholes and dangerous roads.

Ms Kealy said that Victoria’s Auditor-General warned the State Government about the hazardous and declining condition of Victoria’s roads, but instead, the government cut the road maintenance budget by $191 million last year.

“Poor roads increase travel times, damage vehicles and risk the lives of drivers and their passengers every single day,” she said.

Ms Kealy is also calling for significant investment in health, including mental health.

“We are seeing too many service reductions in healthcare across our state and diminishing accessibility to services,” she said.

“At a time when so many people are struggling to recover and rebuild from the coronavirus pandemic, there has never been a more crucial time to ensure our health services have the resources and investment they need to care for our communities.

“A mental health hub for the region and funding for crucial upgrades at Hamilton Base Hospital … are among the things our region needs to see funded in the budget.

“We also need sufficient funding to address the housing shortage facing our region, and investment in childcare infrastructure to ensure families wanting and needing to return to the workforce are able to do so.

“Proper investment that delivers a fair share to regional communities like ours will ensure all of Victoria thrives.”

Southern Grampians Shire council mayor, Bruach Colliton said council was hopeful there would be funding opportunities announced in tonight’s budget for the shire’s Community Investment Plan.

“In recent years, we have invested significantly in community infrastructure, but like all smaller municipalities, the community’s needs stretch beyond Council’s resourcing,” he said.

“Council has been working hard to ensure our community is best supported with high level services and opportunities to meet the expectations and growth of our region,” mayor Colliton said.

“We have identified and understand that there are gaps in services specifically related to transport that creates disadvantages within the community, so we need funding and commitments from both the State and also Federal Governments to address these very real issues.

“Council is working with local organisations to achieve equitable access to health care, transport links, education, and employment to not only prevent social marginalisation but to ensure that the Southern Grampians remains a strong regional centre within Western Victoria.

“What we need to see in the upcoming budget is the equitable distribution of that funding into projects within regional Victoria that can support local enterprise, and those services not only in their recovery post pandemic, but to also support the future growth and long-term sustainability of our communities.”

The specific projects that the mayor said council would like to see funded in the budget included a Digital Hub, improvements for healthcare services with support for a WDHS hospital upgrade, the Volcanic Trails Masterplan, the Penshurst Sewer Project, revitalisation of the Hamilton CBD, as well as further and much needed support for local roads and other infrastructure.

“Our available housing market has also been under significant pressure with the migration of new residents, so key worker housing is a very real issue that funding and resourcing support could help mitigate,” he said.

“We will continue to advocate and have those discussions at the state level to improve services and accessibility for our region.”

WDHS chief executive, Rohan Fitzgerald hoped tomorrow night's budget would bring a much-needed windfall of $32 million for the region’s healthcare services.

“Evidence tells us that people living in rural areas have poorer health outcomes, we are more likely to have a range of chronic diseases and die younger,” he said.

“To address these gaps, hospitals should be upgraded to support the provision of contemporary care in 2022. 

“That’s why we’ve been calling on the State Government to fund a $32 million redevelopment of the emergency department and ICU at the Hamilton Base Hospital.”

Mr Fitzgerald and said the pandemic highlighted the need for greater investment to provide adequate healthcare to rural communities.

He said that COVID-19 continued to have a huge impact on the health sector, and the recruitment and retention of highly trained staff presented ongoing challenges. 

“Incentivising people to train as a healthcare professional and funding training opportunities closer to home will help to build a workforce for the future.”