Polwarth electorate
Richard RIORDAN (Polwarth) (09:44): Today I would like to thank the representatives of the Surf Coast shire, Colac Otway shire and Corangamite shire who have been down here this week in Parliament meeting with members of Parliament and of course the government and opposition about the issues that really matter to the people in Polwarth. It is interesting to note, having just had the budget handed down, the issues around the Surf Coast. The number one priority is affordable housing: where can people live? How can people afford to live? Increasing taxes, increasing regulation, limits to land supply and excess bureaucracy brought about by this state are really affecting people badly on the Surf Coast. In Corangamite of course the number one issue is the lack of funding for roads, and locals in the Simpson area in particular and the Cobden area are really well aware of the lack of ongoing maintenance on road surfaces, particularly the Lavers Hill-Cobden Road and the Cobden-Warrnambool Road. Both have had excessive amounts of accidents and mishaps on those roads due to very, very poor surfaces. And of course the Colac Otway shire is desperate for support around strengthening its industrial base, attracting business and supporting development and land release, which are really important issues to supplying both workforce accommodation and also to continuing to attract businesses to the region. It was fantastic to host these people, the mayors of those shires in our region, down here in Parliament this week.