Member for South West Coast Roma Britnell has welcomed news regional Victoria will receive almost $1 billion from to the lease of the Port of Melbourne.
The Liberal and National Coalition successfully negotiated with the Labor Government to have 10 per cent of the lease proceeds dedicated to regional areas.
The $9.7 billion lease deal means $970 million will be spent on regional infrastructure projects.
Mrs Britnell said it was imperative that Regional Victoria, which produces the majority of goods exported form the Port of Melbourne, got its fair share.
“This is a much needed cash injection for regional areas and it’s thanks to amendments made by the Liberal and National Coalition,” she said.
“This deal is significantly higher than original estimations and thanks to the Coalition; Regional Victoria will reap more benefits than originally proposed.
“The Treasurer said our amendments would damage the value of the asset, which has turned out to be completely wrong.”
Mrs Britnell said will remain focused on ensuring the Labor Government spent a fair share of the money in South West Coast.
“We are the nation’s leading producer of dairy products, which are exported through the Port of Melbourne. Those goods get to the port on antiquated and crumbling transport networks,” she said.
“Comprehensive and efficient transport routes will mean the constantly growing export load can be spread across the state’s major ports, including the Port of Portland – meaning producers can be connected to global markets, no matter what product they exporting.
“It’s not negotiable – a good chunk of this money must be spent repairing and improving road and rail infrastructure in this region. The south-west punches well above its weight when it comes to goods exported through the Port of Melbourne.
“So it’s only fair we receive our fair share of funding to ensure our transport routes are the best they can be.”
