Nationals get new leader after Peter Walsh resigns
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State Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh stepped down from his role as leader of the Nationals in Victoria and deputy leader of the Coalition.
After serving as state leader for a decade, Mr Walsh announced he would be stepping down in November, but would continue “working hard” for Murray Plains.
“To have been able to lead the Nationals for 10 years and help return the party to the prominence it and its supporters deserve, with 11 members in the parliament, has been something which I look on with pride and satisfaction,” he said.
Mr Walsh began his political career in 2002 when he won the seat of Swan Hill. After a redistribution in 2014, he went on to win the new seat of Murray Plains.
The Nationals’ new leader, Danny O’Brien, is the state Member for Gippsland South, and he visited Shepparton in early December.
“Our role won’t change at all in terms of being absolutely focused on rural and regional Victoria,” Mr O’Brien said.
“There’ll be a change in figurehead, and maybe in style, but certainly not a change in attitude.”
Electorate boundaries change, taking Rochy with them
In September, the Australian Electoral Commission announced the redistribution of federal electorate boundaries, including moving Rochester to the Division of Bendigo after being part of the Division of Nicholls.
Rochester, along with Bonn, Diggora, Fairy Dell, Tennyson and part of the locality of Milloo, will move.
The changes came after the AEC abolished the Division of Higgins, which covered some of Melbourne’s inner south-eastern suburbs.
This resulted in 11 electoral divisions being redistributed to ensure a consistent number of voters in each electorate.
Nicholls, represented by Sam Birrell, currently encompasses the entire Campaspe Shire, Moira Shire and the City of Greater Shepparton, as well as parts of Mitchell and Strathbogie shires.
The Division of Bendigo, represented by Lisa Chesters, currently covers Greater Bendigo City, including Elmore; Mount Alexander Shire; and parts of the Macedon Ranges and Mitchell shires.
Mr Birrell said he was disappointed to lose Rochester from his constituency, having spent a significant amount of time in the region in the aftermath of the October 2022 floods.
The initial proposal did not suggest Rochester moved.
Mr Birrell said if there was an opportunity to submit an objection, he likely would have; however, he acknowledged the independence of the AEC to make these decisions objectively.
The new divisions will be in effect from the next federal election, set to take place on or before Saturday, May 17, 2025.
Crucial firefighting equipment arrives in Shepparton after uncertainty
Shepparton firefighters welcomed the arrival of a new million-dollar aerial pumper platform appliance at Fire Station 75 on December 19, marking a significant boost to the region’s emergency-response capabilities.
Pumper platform appliances perform general firefighting duties, and also have a long extendable arm with a platform that can be raised to enable rescues at heights up to 28m.
Fire Rescue Victoria had reportedly intended to reallocate the appliance, which is needed in the Goulburn Valley to fight fires and perform rescues at large heights, to the outer suburbs of Melbourne, specifically Sunshine.
The state-of-the-art truck will enhance fire and rescue operations at high-rise buildings, large factories, silos and water towers in Shepparton and surrounding towns.
Leading Firefighter Steve Harris highlighted its versatility, noting it was ideal for new multi-storey structures such as Shepparton’s law courts and Greater Shepparton Secondary College.
“This truck can perform aerial rescues, so any large factories, silos, things like that, it’s going to be perfect for,” he said.
“(We’re) appreciative that we’ve got the equipment and we’re about serving the community, and it’s going to protect the community of Shepparton and the surrounding communities as well.”
State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell celebrated the community effort to ensure the truck remained in Shepparton, following Fire Rescue Victoria’s initial plan to reallocate it to Melbourne.
“This is a much better piece of equipment for doing both firefighting from height and also rescues,” she said.
“It’s been a fantastic thing for our community to see it arrive.”
Symes becomes Victoria’s first female treasurer
State Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes was announced as Victoria’s first female treasurer in December, following a cabinet reshuffle by Premier Jacinta Allan after former treasurer Tim Pallas’ resignation from politics.
“As treasurer, she’ll bring new ideas and new energy to the portfolio — ensuring that every dollar of investment is focused on supporting families and frontline services,” Ms Allan said.
“I am particularly proud to note that Jaclyn is the first woman in Victoria’s history to serve in the role of treasurer ... and that is something that I think reflects enormously on Jaclyn’s great work ethic, great dedication and commitment.”
Ms Symes said it was an “incredible honour” to be asked by the premier to take on the challenge, and she was “going to throw everything at it”.
She said she would focus on cost of living, future jobs and mortgages, but also wanted to talk to families about what was important to them.
“It’s not just about the state budget, it’s also about household budgets,” Ms Symes said.
Alongside her role as treasurer, Ms Symes will also serve as industrial relations minister, regional development minister and leader of the government in the Legislative Council.
She stepped down from her roles as attorney-general and emergency services minister, which she had held since 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Sonya Kilkenny is the new attorney-general, while Vicki Ward became the new emergency services minister.
Allan Labor Government unveils first state budget
The Allan Labor Government released the 2024-2025 Victorian Budget on May 7, and local politicians had a lot to say about it.
More than $1.8 billion was invested into schools and education, including $948 million to finish 16 new schools, $6 million in tech schools to try to support STEM camps for regional students, and the delivery of tech school programs through remote learning.
A $301.5 million investment was made to support Victorians rebuilding and recovering from catastrophic weather events such as fires, floods and storms, and $185 million was allocated to Victoria’s bushfire prevention and response.
State Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes said the government was focused on helping families in Northern Victoria and delivering projects and services the community deserves.
However, state Member for Shepparton Kim O’Keeffe raised concerns after the budget was unveiled, saying it had fallen short of addressing the critical funding needs of Shepparton and regional Victoria.
State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell called the budget a “huge disappointment” for families and said Shepparton had missed out on funding for many crucial regional projects.
Shadow Treasurer Brad Rowswell paid a visit to Shepparton for a budget briefing after it was released to discuss what it would mean for regional Victoria, and how it would impact Greater Shepparton.
Mr Rowswell had described the state’s economy as an “absolute basket case”, and discussed the opportunities he believed Labor missed in their budget, including road repairs, cutting taxes and making housing more affordable.
Federal budget released with cost-of-living focus
Treasurer Jim Chalmers released the Albanese Government’s federal budget on May 14, with a surplus of $9.3 billion.
Dr Chalmers warned that while “fraught and fragile“ economic conditions were ahead, Australia was prepared to meet the challenges head on.
“In our future, we must strive for more than muddling through or making do,” he said.
“This budget shows we are realistic about the pressures people face now, and optimistic about the future.”
The budget introduced targeted cost-of-living relief measures that aimed to save all Australians some money, and have been in action since the start of the 2024-25 financial year.
Some of the key changes that have been in action since July 1 include tax cuts for every taxpayer, an energy bill rebate for households and small businesses and a freeze on the cost of PBS medicines.
Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell described the budget as underwhelming, lacking vision and imagination, and failing to address inflation or ease the cost-of-living crisis.
“What the Albanese Government is doing is treating the symptoms, not the underlying problems,” Mr Birrell said.
“Labor’s bungled energy policy is responsible for soaring energy costs, and picking up a small part of the bill won’t fix the problem.”
Long road to recovery
It was a busy year for local politicians campaigning for upgrades to Goulburn Valley roads.
Back in February, RoadSafe Goulburn Valley hosted a roundtable meeting in Shepparton with state and federal politicians to discuss concerns about the region’s deteriorating road network.
RoadSafe Goulburn Valley chairman Des Callaghan led the meeting with Victorian Shadow Minister for Roads and Road Safety Danny O’Brien, state Member for Shepparton Kim O’Keeffe, state Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland, Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell, and state Member for Northern Victoria Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell in attendance.
The rising number of lives lost on regional roads, cuts to the road maintenance and resurfacing budgets, funding for road improvements and steps to take going forward were all discussed.
Although road quality is not the main reason for fatalities, it is the leading cause of non-injury collisions.
Mr O’Brien said that although floods had contributed to road deterioration, the lack of funding to maintain and repair roads was the real issue.
“These roads are causing problems for commuters, the transport industry and visitors to our regional towns,” he said.
Ms Cleeland said investment into the roads budget was crucial to improving damaged roads rather than continuing patch-up maintenance.
“We’ve already heard from our local councils that the (January 2024) floods have washed away most of the patch-up road repairs that were done following the 2022 floods,” she said.
“Our roadworthy cars deserve roads that are worthy of them.”
Greater Shepparton bus network review needed
It’s been 15 years since Greater Shepparton’s bus network has been reviewed, but this year population growth sparked calls for one — and a potential upgrade.
State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell and State Member for Shepparton Kim O’Keeffe both urged Victorian Public and Active Transport Minister Gabrielle Williams to initiate a review of Greater Shepparton’s current bus services.
They both emphasised the need to improve frequency, location, accessibility and consistency to create a more inclusive and efficient public transport system.
Ms Lovell said the state government needed to honour its 2021 bus plan, which was committed to delivering bus services that better matched public transport needs.
“It’s clear that the bus network in Greater Shepparton does not adequately cater for the area’s growing and diverse community,” Ms Lovell said.
Ms O’Keeffe said it was important that public transport options were viable and met the needs of the growing population.
“The Shepparton district has experienced significant growth, and it is clear that our bus services are inadequate,” Ms O’Keeffe said.
O’Keeffe appointed for to regional multicultural affairs role
State Member for Shepparton Kim O’Keeffe was appointed shadow parliamentary secretary for regional multicultural affairs.
Ms O’Keeffe said she was “delighted and honoured” to accept the role.
“It’s wonderful to have a regional multicultural focus,” she said.
“We are enriched by our multicultural communities and the contributions they make.
“I will continue to support and celebrate our wonderful multicultural communities.”
Former state Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh praised Ms O’Keeffe’s strong standing with the Shepparton multicultural community and congratulated her on the role, for which he said she was well suited.
“Kim has long been a champion for the Shepparton community, which is a melting pot of many different cultures, faiths and backgrounds,” Mr Walsh said.
“Multicultural groups add so much vibrancy to our communities, and Kim has been at the forefront of embracing and supporting them — and helping them thrive.
“I look forward to Kim broadening her role across regional Victoria in this much-deserved new appointment.”
Cadet journalist