Cathy McGowan (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Colleagues, I ask you to join me in welcoming into Parliament House today the Mayor of Indigo Shire, James Trenery, and the CEO, Gerry Smith.

As members would know, the jewel in the crown of the Indigo Shire is the fantastic town of Rutherglen. I am delighted to say that under the National Stronger Regions round 2, Rutherglen is going to benefit by a $1.834 million project to significantly enhance the main street, to remodel and enhance our Lake King and to seal Hopetoun Road, which leads up towards the 'Bottle' precinct.

Altogether, this will create 25 jobs under construction and 29 new projects post-construction. Today I would particularly like to acknowledge and thank all the people who have done the work behind this. To councillors on the Indigo Shire Council, Roberta Horne and the late Don Chambers—thank you for your work. To the Rutherglen Recreation Reserve Committee of Management—Laurie Thatcher and his committee—for their $49,000. To the Rutherglen Wine Bottle Committee of Management and Herb Ellerbach, thanks for all their work. To the wineries—Rutherglen Estate and Tony Lamb, and Tuileries Rutherglen and Mark Scalzo—for their $40,000.

Thanks to the Winemakers of Rutherglen—particularly to Wendy Killen; and to Destination Rutherglen—to Marion Hansford for her work; and to the Victorian Department of ELW&P for their $445,000 to make all this possible.

It is fantastic to see the Commonwealth investing in Indi. We are really pleased about the work and we really appreciate what is going to happen, and I am so looking forward to turning the first sod in the main street.