The Brumby Government is taking action now to meet the challenges of the future and make Victoria the best place to live, work and raise a family. 

Since 1999, regional Victoria has shown a new confidence driven by investment in infrastructure, job creation and population growth. The Government has rebuilt services and attracted residents back to the regions. More than 138,000 jobs have been created in regional Victoria since 1999, despite the worst drought in a century.

Click on your part of the State to see what is happening in your local area, or read on for a snapshot of Victoria.

• Hume: Enhance Falls Creek All Seasons Gateway, Alpine Discovery Centre and Myrtleford Retail Rail Trail Link.
• Loddon: Investing in expansion of the Echuca Industrial Estate and funding the Tongala Community Centre.
• Grampians: Investing in local towns like Rainbow and Dimboola by improvements to their streetscapes and community halls.
• Barwon South West: Supply of Natural Gas to Barwon Heads and reticulation of Natural Gas to North Bellarine Peninsula.
• Gippsland: Funding the Drouin Retail Enhancement investing in local gas supplies and upgraded tourism opportunities.

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The highly successful Regional Infrastructure Development Fund has been further extended, with an additional $200 million announced as part of the $502 million Moving Forward Provincial Statement. RIDF has already contributed $377 million towards 157 capital works projects, which have leveraged more than $1 billion of new infrastructure investment in regional areas. Some key achievements:

• The Regional Fast Rail Project has provided upgraded tracks and signalling to allow new trains to travel more frequently, safely and at higher speeds, better linking Melbourne and regional centres
• The Calder Highway upgrade is continuing
• The Government has upgraded the Bass, Midland and South Gippsland Highways and the Princes Highway in East Gippsland
• Since 1999, the Government has invested an extra $545 million in 211 schools in rural and regional Victoria
• Regional Victoria will share in a $32 million initiative to build at least four new Technical Education Centres, including at Ballarat and Wangaratta
• New regional hospital and aged care facilities are being built at Rochester and Elmore District Health Service, Rural Northwest Health in Warracknabeal, Stawell Health and Community Centre, Nathalia District Hospital, Warrnambool Hospital, Leongatha Hospital and Ballarat Hospital
• Completed regional hospital redevelopment projects include new facilities at Kyneton District Health Service, Lorne Hospital, Colac Area Health Services, Grace McKellar in North Geelong, West Wimmera Health Service in Nhill and Echuca Regional Health.

More than $5 billion in Government-facilitated new investment has been attracted to regional Victoria over the last seven years.