A new partnership between the Allan Labor and Malinauskas Labor Governments will help support border residents and make it even easier to develop common approaches between the neighbouring states.
The Victorian and South Australian Governments today announced a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Victorian and South Australian Cross Border Commissioners to support border communities.
The announcement of the MoU comes as Victoria's Cross Border Commissioner Brett Davis today met in Renmark with his South Australian counterpart Kelly-Anne Saffin and New South Wales Cross Border Commissioner Kalina Koloff.
The commissioners joined representatives from health organisations including the Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network, Victorian Department of Health, and border hospitals for the VIC/NSW/SA Health Border Forum.
The forum involved collaboration with health sector leaders and builds upon shared knowledge and experiences of working in a border community environment.
Opportunities discussed included ways to strengthen health services in border towns ranging from ambulance services, telehealth, workforce development and aged care.
The MoU outlines key priorities for Victoria and South Australia's border communities, including support for health service planning, border policing, skills and training and emergency management. From improving accessibility to essential services to enabling more job opportunities, the agreement will continue to back the demands of border communities.
The Allan Labor and Malinauskas Labor Governments are already delivering benefits to border towns through their Cross Border Commissioners by championing locals' ideas to make these towns better places to live, work, stay and play.
This includes towns such as Mt Gambier in South Australia, which is benefitting from the Allan Labor Government's free nursing scholarship program. This helps more locals build their careers in nursing with scholarships to support course and study costs when nurses go on to work in Victorian public health services for two years.
In Murrayville, a new fuel station is allowing locals in Victoria to fill up without having to travel across the border to South Australia. The new station, which opened this year, was made possible through a $400,000 investment from the Allan Labor Government.
The regional fares cap for public transport has also extended to border locations like Mt Gambier, supporting workers who cross between Victoria and South Australia each week and use V/Line services.
Victorian and South Australian border towns play an important role in supporting the state's economy through major industries including agriculture and freight. The Cross Border Commissioners work with border communities to deliver and advocate for ways to help towns like Murrayville and Mount Gambier thrive.
As stated by Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan
"This new partnership between Victoria and South Australia will make a real difference for border communities by creating more jobs, strengthening health services, improving access to essential services and delivering better outcomes for busy families across the region."
As stated by South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas
"I welcome this important agreement between our respective Cross Border Commissioners, who together will provide an important resource for businesses and communities that live near or frequently travel across the border."
"I've long maintained our regional border communities must be listened and responded to regarding their unique circumstances, and this Memorandum of Understanding lays the groundwork for this to occur in a more coordinated and efficient way."
As stated by Victorian Minister for Regional Development Gayle Tierney
"Border communities like Murrayville and Mount Gambier are the lifeblood of our regional economies. Through this MoU, we're backing local ideas and ensuring these towns have the support they need to grow, thrive, and continue being great places to live and work."
As stated by Victoria's Cross Border Commissioner Brett Davis
"Supporting our border communities and industries means helping governments understand the unique challenges and opportunities within border towns and I look forward to working with the South Australian Cross Border Commissioner to help progress the needs of our local border regions and communities."
As stated by South Australian Cross Border Commissioner Kelly-Anne Saffin
"Together with my Victorian counterpart, our focus on expanding the significant economic contribution the residents who live in our cross-borders communities make is a core part of the Memorandum of Understanding announced today."
