Infrastructure a focus for Edwards

SITTING member for the State seat of Bendigo West, Maree Edwards, is about to undertake her fourth election since she was first successful in 2010.

With more than 20 years of involvement in the electorate, Ms Edwards said a dedication to the region keeps her motivated.

“I have a passion for working with communities to deliver good outcomes,” she said.

“To see the smiles on the faces of members of the community when there’s a good outcome, it’s worth its weight in gold.

“I love working with them to get good outcomes, but it’s about listening to them and really advocating for what they want.”

Prominent issues in the region for Ms Edwards include education, healthcare, skills shortages, and housing affordability, and she said the State Government is doing their part to address these.

“I think nearly every school in Bendigo West has either been rebuilt or upgraded, so that’s a great outcome,” she said.

“[Regarding homelessness,] I recently had a meeting with a group in Castlemaine and they had some innovative ideas on how to address housing affordability.

“Our $5.3 billion Big Housing Build is delivering 12,000 houses across Victoria and $84 million of that was delivered specifically to Bendigo.”

Since August this year, Ms Edwards has also served as speaker for the Victorian Legislative Council.

She said providing infrastructure and opportunities for Bendigo West residents is at the “top of her list.”

“I’m interested in making sure we continue our pipeline of infrastructure, because it not only benefits the community, but also jobs in our region,” she said.

“We’ve built the new Bendigo courthouse, the new TAFE, the new Gov Hub, the new hospital, and we’re underway with the new rehab centre at the old hospital site, which is a $60 million project.”

Ms Edwards has lived in Bendigo for more than 30 years, having spent most of her life in central Victoria.