Farmers’ Federation Urges Voters To Consider Major Parties’ Promises To Regional Vic

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has urged voters to think about the promises made to regional Victorians by major parties in their election campaign.

Released on Thursday, the VFF’s Election Scorecard detailed how the Labor and Coalition governments have proposed to address major issues faced by over 1.6 million Victorians living in regional and rural areas.

Stay up-to-date on the latest news with The Victorian Briefing - keeping you in the loop with news as it hits:

Four pillars: get moving again on regional road and rail, making regional Victoria the best place to live and work, protecting agriculture land and natural environment and supporting regional jobs and creating secure workplaces were compared against the Labor and Liberal/National parties.

The VFF concluded these areas need to be addressed by both parties and “a focus on these key priorities will help to ensure regional Victoria continues to thrive for years to come”.

“Although most of the commitments we have sought revolve around the agriculture industry, we know the farming community doesn’t exist in isolation and that regional Victoria receives a dividend when government partners with farmers,” the report read.

“Before you vote, we urge you to take the time to look at the commitments and think about how they stake up against the VFF’s Fair Go For Regional Vic election asks.

VFF President Emma Germano said she was disappointed there have not been more commitments put forward by the major parties.

“Whilst both major parties have made significant commitments to regional health, there’s little in the way of significant funding and reform to other rural issues like roads, local government funding and farm biosecurity,” she said.

Ms Germano singled out road maintenance and repair as a critical issue that was not being addressed by the Labor Party in particular.

“Labor has committed no funds to invest in regional road maintenance and repair. Last week I wrote to Premier Daniel Andrews calling on him to show that Labor are in touch with country communities by promising long-term funding certainty.

In the 19 sub commitments sought, neither party was scored to have fully commitment to a pledge.

From The Monthly and LiSTNR comes The Politics Podcast, a new daily podcast that cuts through the noise and delivers you the in-depth analysis of the moments that defined the day in politics. Hear it on the LiSTNR app.