Tuesday, 23 May 2023
DOING WHAT MATTERS FOR EUREKA
The Andrews Labor Government is getting on with delivering on its election promises for our community – investing in what matters for the people of Eureka.
We haven’t wasted a day delivering the services and projects that matter to Victorians. With the Victorian Budget 2023/24, we’re getting on with doing what we said we’d do.
Victorians remember the State Electricity Commission (SEC): it meant a fair deal on your power prices and good, stable jobs for workers.
That’s why we’re bringing it back – to drive down power bills and create thousands of jobs in renewable, government-owned energy.
An initial $1 billion investment in the SEC will help deliver 4.5 gigawatts of power – the equivalent replacement capacity of Loy Yang A – through renewable energy projects.
Bringing back the SEC won’t just mean more renewable energy, lower power bills and reduced carbon emissions – it’ll also help create 59,000 jobs.
As part of a more than $2 billion investment in schools across Victoria, this year’s Budget includes $8.59 million for upgrades at Woodmans Hill High School – including a dedicated space for Year 7s, an extension to the VCE centre to support senior students and a refurbished integrated learning building.
We’ll make sure wherever you choose to send your kids to school, they have access to first-rate facilities – that’s why we’ll keep supporting the low-fee Catholic and independent sector to deliver great local schools.
This budget includes $3 million towards upgrades at St Bernard's primary School in Bacchus Marsh.
With huge demand for a skilled workforce, the Andrews Labor Government making sure Victorians can get the skills they need for the job they want.
Students and workers in Ballarat deserve access to the best training possible, and a targeted investment of $6 million at Federation TAFE will deliver Stage 2 of works for the Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Training Centre ensuring they get it.
We know many apprentices scrimp and save as they start out in their careers. But when you rely on your vehicle to do your job every day, costs can quickly add up. We’ll ease cost of living pressure for our hard-working apprentices, making rego free – saving eligible trade apprentices up to $865 every year.
To get the very best healthcare, you need world-class hospitals. Ballarat Base Hospital will receive a new PET scanner as part of the $44 million statewide package, ensuring patients testing for cancer, neurological disease or cardiovascular disease get the answers they need sooner.
These investments build on the $596 million redevelopment of the Ballarat Base Hospital, where early works have begun.
A new comprehensive women's health clinic at Ballarat Base will change the way women’s health issues are treated, providing care and support for conditions like endometriosis, pelvic pain, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), perimenopause and menopause.
In this Budget, we’ll keep improving V/Line, with $206 million to provide almost 200 extra regional weekend services and $601 million for 23 new VLocity trains to be built right here in Victoria – supporting 500 local manufacturing jobs.
Ballarat locals will be able to enjoy 40-minute services on the weekends – as well as fairer V/Line fares helping make travel across our public transport network more affordable for families.
Maddingley commuters deserve a great public transport network which gets them where they need to go. We’ll extend the 433 bus route – providing an important missing link for the Stone Hill East Estate.
Victorians deserve a reliable road network that gets them where they need to go safely. We’re getting on with upgrading the local roads people in Bacchus Marsh use every day, with a $25 million investment to replace the roundabout at the intersection of Grant, Griffith Street and Station Street intersection with traffic lights.
Every community deserves great spaces to come together to celebrate and share in culture and tradition. We’ll provide Ballarat Indian Association and Cultural Centre Committee with an investment of $900,000 towards their community facility upgrades.
Sport is such a big part of our community, helping families in Eureka to stay active and get engaged. In this Budget, we’ll back local sporting clubs with:
- Gordon Reserve: $25,000 towards their masterplan
- Bacchus Marsh Community Centre: $2.9 million for new facilities for the merged Bacchus Marsh Bowling Club and Avenue Bowling Club
- Teesdale Recreation Reserve: $1.5 million towards upgraded changerooms
- $250,000 to deliver netball court upgrades in Moorabool shire
As our neighbourhoods grow, it’s important we invest in quality open and green spaces. We’ll invest $1 million towards the redevelopment of Brown Hill Recreation Reserve.
Local families and their four-legged friends will have more places to stretch their legs, with the Labor Government delivering on its promise to upgrade the Pepper Tree Park dog park, Bacchus Marsh.
This Budget delivers on our commitment to support the Continuous Voices Survivors Memorial in Ballarat, with a $500,000 grant to help build the first Australian memorial to acknowledge all victim-survivors of sexual violence.
The public art project will be built near the lake adjacent to Plane Avenue in Victoria Park, Ballarat. The memorial is designed to recognise the pain and trauma caused by all forms of sexual violence, as well as providing a space to support healing.
These are the things that matter – and the things we promised to Victorians.
And with this Budget, we’re getting on with delivering every election commitment we made at the last election.
Quotes attributable to Member for Eureka Michaela Settle
“We promised we’d do what matters – and with this Budget, we’re delivering on every election commitment we made to people from Ballarat to Bacchus Marsh.”
“From more affordable and reliable public transport options to better healthcare and support for the community spaces we know and love, we’re making sure regional Victorians have the services they rely on close to home – now and into the future.”
