The Andrews Labor Government is delivering on its promises and delivering for the people of Buninyong, with major investments in our community, health, local schools, roads and sporting clubs in the Victorian Budget 2019/20.
The Labor Government will invest $5 million to make Sebastopol an even better place to work and live. The project could include new community spaces, streetscaping works, tree planting and improved footpaths, and will be delivered in partnership with the community.
As part of a massive $1.8 billion investment in schools around the state, this year’s Budget includes $5.5 million to make sure students at Mount Clear College have the learning spaces they deserve, transforming old classrooms and facilities with a major upgrade of Block A, housing the school’s art, music, drama, and science facilities. The Labor Government has already invested more than $5.4 million to build a new central technology hub at Mount Clear College.
Funding of $1.18 million will go towards planning and early work ahead of upgrades at Phoenix P-12 College. This investment is the first step in delivering an additional two new indoor competition grade courts and relocate existing tennis courts. This builds on the $10.7 million already provided by the Labor Government to upgrade the school.
A further $58 million will expand our School Breakfast Clubs and make sure more kids are learning on a full stomach. Building on the existing program, which provides free breakfasts in 500 schools across our state, this investment will see free breakfasts and lunches served up to students at 1000 primary and secondary schools every school day.
The Labor Government is determined to make sure our kids are ready for school and set for life, delivering on our commitment to begin the rollout of universal three-year-old kinder.
Thanks to a $882 million Budget investment, we will ensure that every three-year-old has access to at least five hours per week of subsidised kinder by 2022 – increasing to 15 hours per week.
Under this year’s Budget, Ballarat patients will benefit from an extra 25,000 dedicated appointments with medical specialists. Right now, many patients are required to travel to the city for appointments and treatment – or face big out-of-pocket costs for a local private appointment.
With a $136 million investment to deliver an extra 500,000 appointments across regional communities, this will help ensure patients don’t have to spend hours away from loved ones to access specialist care.
The Labor Government will also establish a new parenting centre in Ballarat, part of a $213.7 million Budget investment. One of nine across the state, the brand-new Ballarat parenting centre will help make sure new mums and dads can get the advice they need, including support with sleeping, feeding and extra care for babies with additional needs.
The Budget also delivers on our promised $60.8 million investment to keep the growing city of Ballarat moving, upgrading the city’s key intersections and reducing bottlenecks for local drivers.
The hunt for a car park will also be easier for locals in Ballarat, with this year’s Budget providing $30 million for more free regional car parking. This investment will take the pressure off neighbouring streets and making it easier for residents to get in and out of Ballarat’s CBD with 1,000 extra free car parks.
With our state’s biggest transport build underway, now we’re turning our attention to the next big projects, investing $100 million to begin work on the Western Rail Plan to begin planning for the full separation of regional and metro rail services on the Geelong and Ballarat lines – the first step in delivering real fast rail to these cities.
Additional train services will be introduced across both regional and metropolitan rail networks following the completion of major projects including the Ballarat Line Upgrade.
Our sporting clubs are the heart and soul of our community. With this Budget, the Labor Government is ensuring local sporting stars have the facilities they deserve, delivering:
- $3 million to deliver a major redevelopment of Ballan Recreation Reserve
- $220,000 to upgrade the playing surface at the Haddon Recreation Reserve Stadium
This Budget also delivers an $11.8 million package to boost community participation in sport for Stage 2 of the Ballarat Sports and Events Centre, and ensure the Eureka Sports Precinct is a drawcard for competitions, tournaments and events.
A new high-performance basketball hub will also be established in Ballarat to provide young athletes access to the best training programs close to home, with a clear pathway to playing elite level basketball.
Giving our kids great life skills and further connecting our community, this year’s Budget also includes $500,000 in funding for the 1st Ballan Scout Hall. This will provide a dedicated home for local scouts and a new youth hub for our local community.
In last year’s Budget we cut payroll tax for regional business to 2.425 per cent, and as part of the Budget, we are going even further, reducing regional payroll tax to a quarter of the metro rate – down to 1.2125 per cent by 2022-23.
This is a Budget that delivers for all Victorians.
Quotes attributable to Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle
“The Labor Government isn’t just upgrading school buildings, we’re delivering three year old kinder and expanding breakfast clubs to make sure our kids get the best start to life.”
“This Budget delivers on our commitment to fix congested intersections across Ballarat, cutting travel times and making Albert Street safer for Magpie’s students.”
