Local reactions to Budget roll in

THE first reactions to Labor’s 2018/19 Victorian budget are in, with Geelong advocacy groups welcoming money for infrastructure and small business, but state and federal Liberals taking aim at funding towards high-speed trains to Melbourne.

Released on Tuesday, the state budget has a number of major commitments for the Geelong region, including:

• $153.2 million for a future City Deal to be shared between a convention centre, the Shipwreck Coast Master Plan implementation and central Geelong revitalisation
• $50 million for investigative work into Geelong-Melbourne high-speed rail
• $36.1 million for building and upgrade work at schools across Geelong, the Bellarine and Surf Coast
• $77 million for road works within south-west Victoria
• $2.8 million for the Geelong Project
• $1.6 million for Skilling the Bay
• $860,000 to upgrade facilities and courts at the Ocean Grove Tennis Club, and
• $564,000 for upgrades to change rooms and spectator facilities at South Barwon Football and Netball Club

Geelong Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer Bernadette Uzelac particularly welcomed the reduction in payroll tax for regional businesses from 3.6 per cent to 2.425 per cent.

“The 2018-19 Victorian Budget has delivered support to small businesses where it is needed,” she said.

Committee for Geelong chief executive officer Rebecca Casson said the positive economic effects of nearly $690 million for a new 700-bed maximum-security men’s prison in Lara “should not be underestimated”.

“This is a significant investment and will create hundreds of local jobs, with ongoing employment opportunities once the facility is complete.”

Liberal Member for Western Victoria Simon Ramsay said plans for the Geelong Convention Centre had still not been released and only $10 million of the City Deal funding would be spent in the 2018/19 financial year.

“It is clearly not enough for the Convention Centre and shows that today’s announcement is an attempt to shut people up.”

Corangamite Liberal federal member Sarah Henderson said she was shocked the budget did not contain any funding to improve existing passenger rail services.

“Premier Daniel Andrews has turned his back on the Warrnambool line upgrade and the Geelong rail duplication project, opting instead to fund a $50 million ‘bullet train’ study which is in the never-never.”