Thursday, 18 April 2024

 Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (10:18): It is my great pleasure to welcome all members and staff of the Parliament of Victoria to Echuca and my electorate of Northern Victoria Region today. This sitting of Parliament has become a reality due to a motion that I moved on behalf of the Liberals and Nationals to bring Parliament to an area of the state that was badly affected by the October 2022 floods. The motion was based on a motion I moved in 2020 that resulted in a regional sitting in Bright, an area that had been affected by bushfires, and now here we are in Echuca and the Shire of Campaspe today.

I would like to thank mayor Rob Amos and the Campaspe shire for their warm and generous welcome. As locals, we are well aware of the devastation the floods created in vast areas of northern Victoria, but it was here in Campaspe and particularly in Rochester that the floods had the most devastating and lasting impact. Having the Parliament here today and other activities over the past couple of days has ensured that all MPs have been exposed to the lasting effect of the floods and the struggle to recover that our communities still face today. The regional sitting, committee hearings in Bendigo and Shepparton and youth forums in Kyabram and Shepparton have provided a huge boost to local economies. The sitting involves around 150 people; all of them have booked at least one and some up to five nights accommodation. They have purchased coffees and meals and visited other shops. All of this will provide a great economic boost.