Victorian Budget | Wimmera misses out on rail cash, receives injection for education, health

Victoria’s 2018-19 budget, handed down on Tuesday, has instead focused on roads, education, and family violence and social services in the Wimmera.

Federal Member for Mallee Andrew Broad has called on the state government to spend part of a multi-billion dollar windfall from the sale of the Snowy Mountains Scheme on a business case for Wimmera passenger rail.

The state government will spend 50 per cent of that money outside Melbourne as part of a $4.3 billion package for regional Victoria.

However, areas around Horsham and Ararat will have to make do with a share in $22.2 million for new bus services.

The budget had $3.6 million for kinder across the Wimmera and South Wets to improve school readiness. 

The budget has also allocated $1.3m “to better protect women and children from violence” through crisis support across the Wimmera-Southern Mallee regional partnership area.

The partnership areas includes Hindmarsh Shire, Horsham Rural City, Northern Grampians Shire, West Wimmera Shire and Yarriambiack Shire.

Victorian Regional Development and Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford said the budget had a strong focus on farming.

“Our roads funding includes $100 million for local roads,” Ms Pulford, the Member for Western Victoria, said. “We’re investing in better traceability for our agriculture products. There’s money there for artisan producers, which is a high-value niche area and particularly important for our regions.”

As part of a $760 million spend based on suggestions from regional partnerships across the state, the Wimmera-Southern Mallee will receive $500,000 for a Grampians Cycling Plan business case and $300,000 for a trail through existing silo art installations in the Wimmera and Mallee.

As previously announced, the budget contains $2.3 million for Kaniva College prep to year 12 school to upgrade and modernise its buildings, while Dimboola college will receive $600,000 to do the same.

Another budget item announced before Tuesday was a long-awaited $1m for change rooms at Harrow Recreation Reserve.

Treasurer Tim Pallas said he wanted to spread Victoria’s economic good fortune across the state with a further reduction to payroll tax rates for regional businesses.

The budget also had $172m to make priority TAFE and pre-apprenticeship courses free and $304m to make apprenticeships available in secondary colleges.