Mayor Kate Makin has added her voice to a statewide call on both sides of federal politics to commit to supporting local communities.
The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) has launched its 'Make Good Happen' federal election campaign on behalf of Victoria's 79 councils, signalling the Victorian local government sector's five highest priorities ahead of the federal election.
The campaign will focus on:
- Making Community Infrastructure Happen: Delivering the infrastructure growing communities need to thrive
- Making Safer Roads Happen: Connecting communities and supporting a safer and more productive Victoria
- Making Fairer Energy Happen: Engaging communities in Victoria's energy transition
- Making Resilient Communities Happen: Future-proofing communities to withstand natural disaster
- Making Local Democracy Happen: Supporting stronger, safer communities and countering disinformation
Speaking in support of the campaign priorities and their importance in Corangamite, Cr Makin said the roads priority obviously reflected Corangamite's ongoing bugbear.
"Many arterial roads across Corangamite are in a shocking state. They're a safety risk for drivers and a handbrake on transporting milk products from one of the country's most significant dairy areas," she said.
"We're calling for more investment from programs like Roads to Recovery, the Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program, and the Infrastructure Investment Program.
"Making Infrastructure Happen is really relevant to a lot of things in Corangamite too.
"We have a critical shortage of childcare centres, workers, and available spots, which is hurting our working families and the local economy. We urge all candidates to commit to funding childcare services in rural and regional areas.
"Housing affordability is also at crisis levels and we look to working with the next government to find solutions our communities need to thrive."
Cr Makin said Making Fairer Energy Happen was also high on Corangamite's list.
"We have more and more wind and solar farms and storage batteries going up around the Shire, plus the gas industry will continue to be part of the mix during the transition to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
"We need to make sure we have a voice in things like protecting our valuable farm land, and making sure there is no increase in bushfire risk.
"Regional areas carry the burden of hosting infrastructure that powers other parts of the country. We need assurance from the top level down that host councils and communities get long-term benefits from energy transition projects over the coming decade.
"That means investment in community infrastructure like pools, sporting or cultural centres, or aged care and medical facilities as resources companies have done other parts of the country."
MAV CEO Kelly Grigsby said: "All councils across Victoria are wanting to partner with the federal government to meet housing demand, fix potholed roads, deliver energy transition commitments, fortify our critical infrastructure to withstand fires, floods or storms, and promote active local democracy and cohesive communities."
"With all of these challenges upon us, there has never been a more important time to advocate on behalf of our communities for policies, initiatives and investments that will help build a resilient and sustainable Victoria," Ms Grigsby added.
In each of these five areas the MAV campaign will showcase best practice programs and initiatives that can be replicated state and nationwide and call for supportive policy and funding.
