State Member for Shepparton District Kim O’Keeffe says she and Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell are planning to make a point to both the Victorian and federal governments over the need for the bypass, hinting that it could include a public protest involving the transport industry.
“If you sit back and let things go by you without standing up for what you believe is a poor decision or could be a very devastating decision for our region... We need to jump up and make a bit of noise about that,” Ms O’Keeffe said.
Ms O’Keeffe said the infrastructure review being conducted by the Federal Government, which included it reconsidering hundreds of projects listed by the previous Coalition Government, was a critical period for hopes the bypass would maintain federal support and funding.
“We shouldn’t just sit back and wait,” she said.
“We need to do something more about that and if we don’t stand up and stand up for what we do need and deserve, it will go past us quietly. We don’t want it to go past us quietly.
“We need to make sure that we really raise the need and share our story because we will be pulled back. It’ll hold us back.
“It’s the time to really remind government that we are a region that is doing the heavy lifting and in a lot of things we are really helping the economy, but we need to continue to do that, we need to progress and they’re holding us back by not giving us a bypass.”
The Federal Government has committed money for the project, but Infrastructure Minister Catherine King has implied the project is the type of pledge that could be axed in its infrastructure review.
“We’re now left with a pipeline full of over 800 projects, many of which simply cannot be delivered, so we’re cleaning up the mess (of the previous government),” Ms King said.
The Andrews Government’s lack of commitment to the bypass in its recent state budget has also left supporters of the project believing it is in jeopardy.
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