3 PRIME MINISTERS, 6 BUDGETS, STILL NOTHING FOR BALLARAT

The Liberal Government has once again forgotten Ballarat in tonight’s election-focused Budget.

Across our region there are projects crying out for federal funding, including:

·         Her Majesty’s Theatre

·         BIRCH, the Ballarat Innovation and Research Collaboration for Health

·         Upgrades to Ballarat Airport

·         Bacchus Marsh Sports Hub

None of these important projects have been considered worthy of funding by the Morrison Liberal Government.

Indeed, the only mention of Ballarat in the Budget papers is $10 million for the Ballarat to Ouyen corridor.

This hardly meets the needs of our growing region.

In contrast, Liberal held and marginal seats around us received far more attention with billions going to the Geelong region and the hundreds of millions to the electorate of Wannon.

Residents of the electorate of Ballarat are right to expect that they are given their fair share of national funding – sadly under this government that is not the case.

This is a Government which has spent 6 years standing up for the big end of town, cutting health, cutting education and cutting the ABC.

This Budget has no plan for wages, no plan to tackle power prices, no plan to address climate change, and no plan for the future.

This Budget fails to reverse cuts to schools, hospitals and TAFE.

Most egregiously, the much-hyped surplus is subsidised by short-changing people with disability through a massive underspend in the National Disability Insurance Scheme

No pre-election Budget con will be able to make Australians forget the disastrous record of the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government.

In contrast, Labor has a plan to

• Fix our schools and hospitals. Restore funding cut by the Liberals and Nationals, to ensure every community has quality public schools and hospitals.
• Ease pressure on family budgets. Tax breaks for workers, not the top end of town.
• Stand up for workers. Reverse cuts to penalty rates and crack down on abuse of labour hire and 457 visas.
• Invest in cheaper, cleaner energy. More renewables to put downward pressure on power prices
• Build a strong economy that works for us all. Make the top end of town pay their fair share, so we can build new infrastructure and give workers a fair go.

Importantly, Labor has a plan to invest in Ballarat.

Labor’s investments in the Ballarat electorate will be made clear in the lead up to next month’s election.