Sam Birrell (Nicholls, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to talk about investment in regional communities. I'll use two examples: SAM and MOVE. And no, I'm not talking about myself. SAM is the Shepparton Art Museum. You may not know that Shepparton is home to one of the finest collections of ceramics in Australia. A new art museum was needed to expand and incorporate a major collection of Indigenous art generously offered by the Gantner family. SAM also has Kaiela Arts, which is a First Nations industry that supports working artists. The previous coalition government backed the project with $15 million. SAM now stands overlooking Victoria Park Lake and is a drawcard for the region and the cultural centre of Shepparton.

MOVE is the Museum of Vehicle Evolution. It started in 2011. It is predominantly a car museum. It exists entirely through the philanthropy and the hard work of enthusiasts. MOVE wanted to expand to incorporate other forms of transport, particularly trucks. From the earliest days of fruit growing in the Goulburn Valley, the produce needed to be transported to market. Orchard families bought one truck, then a second truck, and soon they were running a cartage business. Again, the former coalition government recognised the potential and invested $2.5 million to support the expansion of MOVE.

Both investments have reaped rewards for the region in attracting visitors and extending the length of their stays. They're good for the economy, good for local business and good for a regional community. To those opposite, all I say is: there should be more of this investment, not less.

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