Damian Drum (Nicholls, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to congratulate the previous speaker, the member for Macnamara, on sticking up for travel agents. They've gone through a horrible time.

In my constituency statement I would like to explain how exciting it is to be in Shepparton and the Goulburn Valley at the moment. We are very excited about coming out of COVID and very excited to see some of the freedoms that have been given to those in Melbourne. Obviously many Melburnians are looking forward to venturing into the regions over this long weekend in Victoria. Those visitors who will come to Nicholls over the coming days and months will have the opportunity to experience a lot of 'first times', because, due to some of the significant contributions by the federal government, the Shepparton Art Museum will be officially opened. This was a $15 million contribution towards a $50 million art museum. It is going to become one of the best regional art galleries in Australia, and the region is very excited about having that building completed.

At the same time, about four kilometres away, the Museum of Vehicle Evolution is being completed. Again the federal government was a major stakeholder in building that museum. We've contributed $2½ million to this museum, and it will highlight an amazing array of trucks—historical trucks and brand-new trucks—and other vehicles like bicycles and motorbikes. An incredible women's fashion collection is also on display. It's a 10,000-square-metre facility and it will be unique in Australia.

At the same time work is just commencing on a $17 million overhaul of the Shepparton Maude Street Mall. About 40 years ago a decision was made to stop vehicles entering the mall so that pedestrians had right of way. Shepparton is one of the first cities in Australia that is going to reverse that and have slow-moving traffic allowed back in the Maude Street Mall. It's a $17 million investment all up, and the federal government has contributed over $8 million for that project. It will be a game-changer, and we are looking forward to seeing how that goes in the future. Also being completed right now is the Echuca-Moama Bridge. This is a bridge that's been talked about for 55 years. But over the last four or five years we've been building this $340 million bridge, and it is nearing completion. The two sides have finally met over the mighty Murray River, and it is fantastic that this project will be completed in the coming months. It certainly is an exciting time to be in the Goulburn Valley and Shepparton, and I want to thank the government for all the investment they've put into the Goulburn Valley and Shepparton.