City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali has reacted to the federal budget.
Despite the announcement of funding for an important intersection in town, Cr Sali said the budget missed an opportunity to provide much-needed money to support future regional growth.
Some $2.2 million was committed to the upgrade of the intersection at Goulburn Valley Hwy and Graham St in Shepparton, which includes a signalised intersection to improve traffic flow in and around GV Health.
Works are expected to commence later this year, with expected completion in late 2025.
This project was initially funded through the Roads of Strategic Importance initiative — along with Victorian Government funding — which was a $160 million road funding program to be spent between Tocumwal and Seymour.
About 80 per cent of this funding was taken away by the Federal Government.
“The Federal Government have since clearly recognised the need for an upgrade at this intersection to improve traffic flow in and around the hospital, which is pleasing to see,” Cr Sali said.
“This is a busy area which sees a high volume of traffic each day.
“This upgrade will help improve accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists to Goulburn Valley Health, which is a welcome addition.”
Cr Sali said there were several other busy intersections along the Goulburn Valley Hwy that needed immediate attention, including the intersection of Hawkins St and the intersection of Wanganui Rd and Ford Rd.
“Greater Shepparton is still desperately lacking in funding for the region’s major arterial roads and intersections,” he said.
“There is currently no further construction funding for the Goulburn Valley highway corridor, which is a national highway corridor with only $3 million allocated for development and scoping.
“This makes it impossible for this vital project to be undertaken.
“We also saw $208 million cut for the Goulburn Valley Hwy Shepparton bypass in the Infrastructure Investment Review last November, which was another blow for our region.”
The budget also saw further money allocated to stage three of the Shepparton Rail Line Upgrade, with $11.4 million added to the $320 million already committed by the government.
Stage three will enable faster and more frequent services, including track upgrades between Seymour and Shepparton to allow trains to travel faster and a further 1.1km extension of the Murchison East crossing loop, while improving the ride quality, reliability and resilience of the line.
“We have already seen progress in the Shepparton Rail Line Upgrade through stages one and two, which saw 10 extra services a week between Melbourne and Shepparton and VLocity trains travelling to and from Shepparton for the first time,” Cr Sali said.
“Council also welcome the announcement of $300 energy rebates for all households, a $3 billion cut in student debts, $1 billion to get homes built sooner in regional Victoria, and a new five-year national agreement on social housing and homelessness.”
Despite these wins, Cr Sali said an opportunity was missed to further strengthen the economy of regional cities, including Greater Shepparton, which in turn would encourage sustainable growth and maximise regional liveability.
“Greater Shepparton is missing out on accessing federal funding due to the inability to obtain co-contributions following the Victorian Government scrapping the Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund,” he said.
“Without this, there is no pathway for future projects in regional Victoria beyond the existing pipeline currently under construction.
“Council were hoping to see an announcement regarding successful applications for the Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program.
“To date, there hasn’t been any awarding of funding via this program.
“Council was also hoping to receive funding via the Growing Regions Program to facilitate much-needed repairs for the Shepparton Sports Stadium and VISY; however, this also did not eventuate.
“Local infrastructure projects such as this are a vital part of any regional community. We will now continue to work with and advocate to the Federal Government to ensure Greater Shepparton is not left behind and receives the funding it needs to support the continued growth of our region for future generations.”