Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I remember, in July 2019, finally being called the member for Mallee. Mine was the last seat in Australia to be named and declared, so I was very proud in that moment to step into this role. It has been an incredible journey over the last 2½ to three years. My colleagues who have been around for some time say there has never been one like it. In December, I put together 12 newsletters for my 12 shires. In the newsletters, I talked about what has actually been achieved. It's been really easy, in the last two years in particular, to be quite downward looking—to look at how difficult things are, how challenging they are—and there's been much justifiable criticism of a lot of handling that has gone on. But there's also been some excellent work that has gone on, and I've got to say that our government has achieved a tremendous amount in very trying times.

Today I want to talk about some of the achievements that the people of Mallee have experienced in the last, nearly, three-year period. It's about delivery, and, as a local member, I am really proud to say that over $2 billion has been delivered in the electorate of Mallee. There was $626 million in direct support distributed for businesses throughout COVID and for employers to be able to keep their staff paid, if not working. There has been $472 million invested in roads. That's a tremendously important focus for the people of Mallee. We are 83½ thousand square kilometres; there are a lot of roads. While $470 million doesn't go all the way to repairing every road, we're still on track. We have many huge trucks, big B-doubles, that traverse all the small roads across Mallee, which therefore need constant upgrading. That work continues.

We've also had $26 million delivered through drought recovery. This has been an incredibly important fund and program for many shires in Mallee. Many pieces of infrastructure and a lot of support for organisations throughout Mallee have come from this drought funding, and shires have been incredibly grateful. We've also expended $440 million on the Murray Basin Rail Project. That's not to say that it's been delivered. There has been a lot of pushback from the state government, and the work is yet to be completed. But I want the people of Mallee to know that I am very focused on that work being completed, and I will see it through. We've also distributed $60 million for healthcare improvements across Mallee, and I want to touch on some of those shortly.

There has been $15 million invested in our telecommunications. Anyone in Mallee who traverses the highways and byways or the small towns and back paddocks knows just how difficult connectivity is. So I am really thrilled that $15 million has been invested. There is so much more work to be done, and I was very pleased to work with Julian Leeser, my colleague, recently to address the issue of connectivity. Again, it's another topic and another issue that we have to remain focused on to see improvements for regional areas.

Into the details: I have 12 wonderful shires, and one of them is the Hindmarsh Shire. There have been funds delivered for childcare services, as well as $11.5 million for roads and bridges. I was very pleased to be on site to do the first sod turn for the Albacutya Bridge. Unfortunately I could not be there for the demolition of the old bridge. It was an incredible piece of architecture, so I was very sad not to see it come down. But the new bridge is on its way, and it will provide safety for those who need to use that bridge for their businesses and farms and for tourism. The Wimmera River Discovery Trail received $600,000. Tourism in our regional centres is actually pivotal for keeping our economy ticking over. The Wimmera River is just another one of our beautiful rivers; it is just iconic. I had the joy of opening the Dimboola Community Civic Hub. There was $600,000 invested by our government in this particular project, and the locals love it. It's another opportunity for tourism and for people to enjoy the spaces in Dimboola.

Of course, there is more work to be done. I have to confess I made a mistake and reported that I had funded a particular project called the Davis Park Precinct, and that hadn't actually happened. You do a lot of work in this House, and occasionally you slip up, and that was a slip-up for me. So I'm fighting very hard for that project to be delivered because it's incredibly important to the people of Nhill.

Loddon shire has received $14.5 million for the Mitiamo and District Reticulated Water Supply Project. If we don't have water, we don't have life. Our communities can't live. Our farms can't grow. I was so thrilled to be down there with the previous Deputy Prime Minister to announce this particular project. It's part of our national water grid and an incredibly important investment. Loddon shire has also received $22.6 million for its roads. The local council have loved—all my local councils have loved—the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program because it's given them the ability to pinpoint their own projects. It hasn't been tagged or tied to any particular outcome, but they have been able to achieve a tremendous amount of work that really matters to the locals who live in those regions. So that's another one. For Donaldson Park in Wedderburn, there was $2.5 million. Our sporting precincts matter enormously not just to people who play sport but to their families and to communities in small towns. They really are the epicentre.

An honourable member: And tennis courts.

And tennis courts, absolutely. Pyrenees shire has received $14.3 million for roads. Roads are something that I think every member in this House hears about; they matter. When you're driving on bad roads, it's no good for your car and it's certainly no good for the occupants. So road investments have been significant in this period of time. The Lexton Community Hub has received $2.7 million. Then there is the Waubra Bowls Club, $300,000, and the Avoca walking track and bike paths—things that get us out into our communities, again increasing tourism for our smaller towns.

Buloke shire, a wonderful shire up in the north of my electorate, have received $450,000 for childcare services, a vital piece of investment so that young families can get on with their lives—so that their children are cared for and parents can go back to work. If we do not have child care in these smaller towns, it hinders our productivity more generally. Charlton Park and the Charlton Harness Racing Club are two pieces of investment by this government that are just a sight to behold. I was totally delighted to go to the Charlton Park site for the opening—there were crowds there—and I will be going to a race meet down there very soon. The Buloke shire did receive $4.3 million under the Drought Communities Program and have expended that funding—again, on projects that they want to spend it on. Our local shires are so important to really understanding what's going on on the ground and where the priorities are. Buloke has also received another $2.4 million for community infrastructure.

Central Goldfields Shire, down in the south-east of my electorate, have received $10.3 million for roads and bridges. One of the first things that I heard about when I stepped into this role, from very passionate locals, was the Carisbrook levee and how important that was. The flood that happens once in a hundred years down there completely messes up that area when it happens, and it happened recently. I fought hard for the $1.2 million for that levee, and I'm really pleased to see that that work is going ahead. In aged care, the Havilah aged-care facility in Maryborough received $4.96 million. We've talked today about aged care, and it's on all of our minds just how important our aged-care facilities are for our seniors. So to see investments in aged-care facilities across Mallee—there are several; this is one of the key ones—is very exciting, and I think it shows the commitment that we have to improving our aged-care services.

The Central Goldfields also received $120,000 for community halls. I've got to say: it just was elevated in the community; they just loved all of these halls. There were five of these halls that were done up—they were painted or had a new kitchen—and they really are the epicentre of small communities. The communities can meet there for dances—the old country dances, which I well remember—and for events with their sporting clubs or community groups. So they were very excited about this funding. All that work has been done, and I've seen much of it.

Gannawarra Shire received $15 million for roads and bridges. Gannawarra Shire also has a huge area around Kerang which is a huge development for renewable energy, and we have a focus on that being able to be uplifted onto the grid and made valuable. That's a space to continue watching. We are investing in that space.

In the Kerang Christian College, $1.23 million was invested. They are proud of that work. I was pleased to be at the opening of that. It's a very vibrant school, with a wonderful science lab now. So STEM is on its way in Kerang Christian College.

For the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District channel embankment infrastructure, $3.5 million has been delivered. Eleven thousand irrigators rely on the water in that region, and they are doing a wonderful job.

The ag shows in Gannawarra Shire received $475,000, to Cohuna, to refurbish their showgrounds and facilities. Our local shows and ag field days have suffered terribly over the last three years. Many of them have not been able to operate at all. So this kind of investment by the Morrison-Joyce government in our shows has kept them going and has given them not just something to do but something to actually keep them afloat through this period of time. We expect them to come back in a vibrant way in 2022.

Swan Hill region has received $83 million in roads and bridges. Sixty million dollars was committed to the Swan Hill Bridge, and if the states could get their acts together that would be fantastic and this bridge could be built. It has had a tremendous amount of go-slow on it, with the heritage listing and needing to sort out which bridges are going to be replacing which priority in the heritage listing. Hopefully, we will see that work begin soon. It's not for want of passion and interest in it in the Swan Hill Council; they are very passionate about this project. And locals want to see it delivered.

We've also delivered $30 million to the Swan Hill hospital. It's the remit, of course, of the state government, but our $30 million meant that the state government finally stepped up and also promised $17.8 million. The emergency department at Swan Hill hospital I have spoken about before: it would bring you to tears if you walked in there. That money is very well spent. Here I go again! We want to see the state government pay attention to our regional hospitals. They need funding. They need a focus. And I would urge the Victorian state government to look beyond the halo of Melbourne.

See this speech in context