Lowan electorate
Emma KEALY (Lowan) (10:08): This is a very exciting week for my electorate, because this week we will host thousands of Hawthorn fans who cannot afford a flight to Adelaide because of cost-of-living pressures in Victoria. They will be travelling up the Western Highway, and I urge every single Victorian who is heading through my electorate to support our local businesses – to stop in and have a cup of coffee or have a rest break. Go beyond the golden arches in Ararat and make sure that you drop in at Great Western, Stawell, Dadswells Bridge – get a pic with the big koala and drop in and say g’day to Pat – Horsham, Dimboola or Nhill. Of course the last stop with shops on the way through Victoria is Kaniva, the birthplace of Alastair Clarkson. We are all jumping on board the Hawks bandwagon. I am, even though I can safely say right now that my team, Collingwood, are still the reigning premiers for a couple of weeks yet.
There is one other message for people who drive through my electorate: our roads are terrible. The Allan Labor government have cut so much funding out of our road asset management budget that people who drive through my electorate to Adelaide this coming week will need to make sure they are driving on what is left of the road, not on the left-hand side of the road. Please take extra care on the roads. Make sure that you come back to Melbourne, you remember where this money is going and you put Labor last at the next election.