KING REIGNS

Federal election result means uncertainty for major projects

CATHERINE King has been returned as the Federal Member for Ballarat with a commanding majority of the vote.

Yet the failure of the Labor Party to win government has thrown several key projects that were subject to her election pledges in doubt.

Chief amongst them is all-ability access for Her Majesty’s Theatre, the focus of a $10 million Labor pledge, yet Ms King said that she would seek to find other ways of funding that project.

“It’s probably my biggest disappointment that you don’t get to deliver the projects that we know the community so desperately wants,” she said. “Once the new government’s settled, I will write to them very quickly about the importance of these projects and lobby and try and create opportunities for the government to think about funding.”

With the Coalition promising just over $10 million for Sovereign Hill capital works improvements, and a further $500,000 for upgrades to Russell Square in Brown Hill, Ms King said she would seek to hold the next government to account for those pledges.

“They should honour the election commitments they have made,” she said. “Going forward with any regional development funds they have I think they are really going to need to have a look at the inequality of funding between their election promises and what they do in government.”

The extent of Ms King’s victory was dominant, winning all but four booths across the electorate – Bungaree, Learmonth, Newlyn and Warrenheip.

She said her victory was more about her long-term record rather than just one election campaign. “I’m very honoured to have been returned as the Member for Ballarat,” she said.

“People have been very kind to me over a long period of time and as I’ve said, I don’t think elections are fought and won in five weeks.

It’s really about the sort of service you deliver to the community beforehand.”

City of Ballarat Mayor, Samantha McIntosh, was positive on Ms King’s her victory.

“I congratulate Catherine on being reappointed and I congratulate Catherine on being a voice on behalf of the community,” she said.

“We need to have some further conversations with our Federal counterparts around some of the major projects we know our community care about.

“We heard, loud and clear, that the community want to see the doors of Her Majesty’s Theatre open, and that they would love to see disability access. We as a city have committed $5.3 million to Her Majesty’s Theatre, the State government has committed $10 million, Heritage Victoria $2 million, and we’re now looking at that final stage which will give us the full disability access.”

On Saturday night defeated Liberal candidate, Timothy Vo, spoke to his supporters at a function in Ballarat.

While he didn’t directly focus on his defeat that saw Ms King further increase her margin by just under 4 per cent, or about 19,000 votes difference at time of publication, he did thank his campaign staff and supporters.

He also said he wasn’t about to disappear. “One of the first things I said… before I was endorsed was, I want to be a good candidate for you, for everyone here in this room,” he said. “I wanted to do a good job and be the person you all want.”

“The people of Ballarat have shown, through thousands of votes, that they were willing to have me as their member for parliament.

“If I were to, at the end of this day, switch off and go back into my little hole and continue playing video games that would be an absolute afront to all the work that I’ve put in.

“My work doesn’t end today, it does not, and I’m going to be an active member of this community.”