As infrastructure projects in Melbourne continue to suffer from significant cost-blowouts, Labor has attempted to reclaim money back by drastically cutting funding from regional departments, grants, and crucial services.
The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) and The Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions (DSJIR) were some of the worst impacted, with job cuts and funding for regional programs gutted.
Office closures have occurred in towns like Seymour, while other local offices have been operating under reduced hours.
DEECA grants for individuals, businesses, and not-for-profits decreased from $1 billion in 2022-23 to just $479 million in 2023-24. These grants have typically been used to provide crucial support to agricultural societies, farmers, and Landcare organisations.
Over 200 bushfire and forest service staff working out of 99 different regional sites had their jobs cut, while Agriculture Victoria have had 190 positions removed in the past two years.
The Nationals’ Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, said it was incredibly disappointing to see regional Victoria once again pay the price for the Allan Labor Government’s financial ineptitude.
“Labor’s inability to keep a budget in check has resulted in massive cuts to programs that are of great benefit to our communities,” Ms Cleeland said.
“We’ve seen it with our hospitals, our police, and a lack of regional infrastructure investment, now we are seeing cuts to our crucial regional services.
“Cutting jobs at regional sites while the department’s city-based offices gain more employees is hard to reconcile. We know our regional workers are the ones doing the real work, particularly when it comes to fire safety and agriculture.
“Labor is only interested in governing for Melbourne, and it’s our regional residents that are paying the price.”
Programs supporting regional jobs and infrastructure were also cut at the DSJIR, including decreasing funding for their regional infrastructure fund from $6.54 million to just $110,000 over the past two years, and cutting regional partnership funding from $4.68 million to $902,000.
