Today, the Victorian Liberals and Nationals joined the Mornington Peninsula Regional Tourism board's urgent meeting with industry stakeholders as local businesses face an ongoing "state of crisis".
Attendees discussed restrictive trade and planning conditions, which are seeing already struggling small businesses face uncertainty as the cost of running a business continues to rise.
This comes after the Allan Labor Government slashed funding in its recent State Budget, cutting $286 million from Tourism and Major Events, in addition to a $393.9 million cut to Visitor Economy initiatives involving industry support, regional tourism, regional events and infrastructure.
Furthermore, recent Austrade data has confirmed Victoria's tourism spend remains at just 91 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, well behind New South Wales (105 per cent), Queensland (102 per cent), South Australia (120 per cent) and Western Australia (111 per cent).
Shadow Minister for Tourism, Sport and Events, Sam Groth, said: "Local traders have expressed concern over the growing number of businesses on the brink of collapse.
"This issue is not isolated to the Mornington Peninsula and the Allan Labor Government's increasingly hostile approach to business is hurting regional operators and driving them and their jobs interstate.
"With Labor slashing tourism funding in the recent state budget - the challenges faced by this sector will only continue to worsen under the Allan Labor Government."
Shadow Minister for Planning, James Newbury, said: "It's clear Labor's restrictive planning rules are holding back tourism and hospitality businesses across this region.
"Unlike the Allan Labor Government who refuse to engage with peninsula business, the Victorian Liberals and Nationals will work with these operators to grow and thrive now and into the future.
"Labor cannot manage money, cannot manage regional tourism and Victorian businesses are paying the price."
