Safety number one priority
TO me, there’s nothing more important than making sure our kids, our parents, the people we love, get home safely.
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Because after nearly two years in this job, I know that every time we lose a life on our roads, another family is left heartbroken.
It’s why, since we came to government, we’ve set to work – making sure our roads are up to scratch, tackling congestion and doing everything we can to reduce death and injuries on our road. It’s a serious issue, and it deserves our genuine commitment.
It’s why I was so disappointed to see that the Liberal-Nationals continue to make false claims about regional road funding.
The truth is, the former Liberal government cut $100 million from the VicRoads maintenance budget. I could be here all day describing all the times they let our roads and bridges fall into disrepair. But I won’t.
I understand when something is this important, people don’t care about political point scoring. Not when their safety and livelihoods are on the line.
So, let’s talk facts – we are spending $130 million on road surface replacement and repairs across Victoria, with the majority of this work taking place on regional roads.
We’re also getting on with planning and pre-construction works on the Western Highway between Ararat and Stawell, allocating $10 million so far, while we work with the federal government to move to the next stage. We are not waiting – the upgrade to this highway is too important.
We also promised that we would lease the Port of Melbourne, while ensuring our regional and rural communities get the support and funding they need.
Which is why more than $970 million will flow to regional and rural Victoria following the lease, in addition to a $200 million Agriculture Infrastructure and Jobs Fund that will wholly benefit the agriculture sector – allowing for quicker access from paddock to port.
We’ll invest in projects and programs that create local jobs and provide the best value for money, and value for the community.
And that’s exactly what we’re doing.
For farmers who rely on these roads for their livelihood, for parents who use them to take their kids to school, and for every local driver, it’ll make all the difference.
As always, the safety of drivers and their families is my number one priority.
LUKE DONNELLAN
Minister for Roads and Road Safety
Story establishes peace
THE criticism that gay rights are being denied is levelled daily against those who oppose same-sex marriage.
Doug Mainwaring is a gay man who opposes same-sex marriage.
He has written ‘when a public war of words erupted a few days ago between Sir Elton John and world famous Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, a mostly ignored schism within the gay community was suddenly cast in high relief. Trust me, I know. I’m a gay man opposed to gay marriage. Dolce and Gabbana are bravely standing against a future state-enforced genderlessness, against a tidal wave of adult selfishness that overwhelms children’s rights and their best interests’.
Doug Mainwaring had broken up with his wife because of his homosexual urges.
‘I eventually came to the conclusion I had committed a grave injustice against my kids ... they deserved to be raised by both their mum and their dad under the same roof. Who was I to deny this most basic of children’s rights?’
Doug’s story concludes with what he and his wife have achieved by their own unselfishness on behalf of their kids’ need to have both their male and their female parent in the home. ‘Over the last couple of years, I’ve found our decision to rebuild our family, ratified time after time’.
It is emotionally satisfying to read his account of the restoration of warmth and tenderness achieved in their home. The intellectual integrity of this story establishes peace. He says ‘to give kids two moms or two dads is to withhold from them someone whom they desperately need and deserve in order to be whole and happy. It is to permanently etch ‘deprivation’ on their hearts’.
I found this story in a new book now available from Connor Court Publishers.
Australian GP Dr David van Gend has launched a book on all questions relating to same-sex marriage.
It combines professional balance, the compassion of a GP and an essential expose of the damaging Marxist ‘genderless-marriage’ political agenda in Western society.
Levels of divisive criticism could be lowered if our government would listen to and promote the work of Dr van Gend.
ROBERT WORTHINGTON
Warracknabeal
Country hospitals struggling
ADEQUATE health care is a vital foundation for a thriving country community.
But under Daniel Andrews our country hospitals are struggling.
Annual reports just released in parliament indicate 21 Victorian hospitals are currently operating in deficit – 19 of these are located in rural and regional areas. Daniel Andrews promised to ‘fix our hospitals’, but it is clear things are getting worse – not better. Why is it that more often than not, when we hear of a hospital service facing cuts or struggling to retain doctors, it is in a regional area?
If Daniel Andrews is serious about creating jobs and investment in country areas, he needs to make sure we have access to reliable and well supported health care.
The Liberal-Nationals will always advocate for a fair share for country Victorians.
After the windfall $9.7 billion sale of the Port of Melbourne lease there really is no excuse for Daniel Andrews to continue neglecting the health of country people.
MARY WOOLDRIDGE
Shadow Minister for Health