Premier

Nats Cosmetic Surgery Won’t Reverse Cuts To Regional Vic

04 August 2015

A cosmetic name change won’t reverse the damage the Nationals inflicted on regional Victoria during their four years in government.

Adding “Country” to their name won’t fool the thousands of regional Victorians who suffered at the expense of National and Liberal Party cuts to TAFE, schools and hospitals.

This is cosmetic surgery and nothing more.

The Nationals stood by while their Liberal mates took an axe to our TAFE sector, decimating TAFEs across regional Victoria.

These vicious cuts saw many regional TAFE campuses shut up shop, making it so much harder for local kids to get the skills they need to get a job.

Under the Nationals’ watch, regional unemployment skyrocketed, farmers struggled, businesses closed their doors, and our regional roads crumbled.

Now, the Nationals are standing in the way of a $200 million fund to support Victorian farmers.

Instead of self-indulgent naval gazing, the Nationals should be working with us to get regional Victoria back on track.

We’re working hard to repair the damage caused by four years of National Party neglect and cuts to local schools, hospitals and services.

We’ve brought our regional TAFEs back from the brink with our $320 million TAFE Rescue Fund, while our $500 million Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund will help support regional communities across the state by investing in the projects we need to create jobs, support our businesses and drive growth.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development Jaala Pulford

“Slapping a new coat of paint on an old ute won’t make it sparkle.”

“Peter Walsh needs to remember it’s not the name people care about, it’s the policies.”

“The Nationals need more than a name change to reverse the damage they did to regional Victoria over the last four years in collaboration with the Liberals.”

Reviewed 19 August 2020

Was this page helpful?