Thursday, 18 April 2024

Regional Victorians

Tom McINTOSH (Eastern Victoria) (10:25): I would like to use my members statement today to acknowledge regional Victorians. Our regions are a vital part of our great state. Our cities value our regions. We get out to our mountains, our rivers and our beaches. We get out and enjoy the space and spend money in local areas. Our regions, with their world-class agriculture, feed our cities, and their industries underpin our economy.

It was moving today to hear from Tara and Cameron as local youth here in this area of regional Victoria. There are always challenges. I grew up in the regions in the 1990s. We had services closing and train lines getting pulled out and footy clubs merging and things contracting, and we still have challenges today. But it is great that we have growth and that unemployment is low. This side, this government, will continue to invest. Whether it is in our education, our training, our health care or our infrastructure, we will keep on getting on with doing that, and we are committed to it. For the last quarter of a century our leaders have all been from regional Victoria, and that continues today with Premier Jacinta Allan.

I want to say thank you to all regional Victorians for everything you do and for the communities that you build. We will continue to put the services in around you and put the infrastructure in around you through the $2 billion regional fund. We will invest. Whether it is tourism bringing people into the local economy, whether it is housing, whether it is infrastructure, we will stand by you and support you. Thank you for all that you do.

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: I do not think Mr McIntosh was being too provocative. In members statements we try and let people have a free run. Let us give that a crack in the future.