The state government appears to have played it safe in their latest budget.
Treasurer Jaclyn Symes handed down the 2026/27 Victorian budget on Tuesday, May 5th following weeks of announcements by Premier Jacinta Allan and ministers about what to expect.
Virtually all major funding pledges for our region were made in the lead-up, including upgrades for Eaglehawk Primary School, Daylesford Primary and the Maryborough Education Centre; reduced fares on V/Line services between June and December; fixes for blackspot intersections in Maiden Gully and Epsom; a roof for the Bendigo Livestock Exchange, and new changing rooms at White Hills Oval.
There were no new major projects outlined in the budget papers, nor any new taxes.
Ms Allan is pitching the budget as one that makes life “easier, safer and more affordable for families” in regional areas.
“We have invested more than $50 billion in regional Victoria, creating more jobs and services, while ensuring regional Victoria has the second lowest unemployment rate of anywhere in the country,” she said in a statement.
The state’s newly-minted Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development, Michaela Settle noted the budget’s focus on primary producers.
“We’re backing our farmers through tough times, helping them recover from bushfires and drought, grow their businesses, and protecting them from predators and biosecurity threats,” Ms Settle said.
Conversely her opposition counterpart, Nationals leader Danny O’Brien, reckons the budget shows the government has “lost touch with regional communities”.
“Labor talks about cost-of-living relief, but ignores the fundamentals – fixing our roads, supporting our industries and making sure regional Victorians can actually afford to live and work in the communities they love,” Mr O’Brien said.
Reactions from other groups have been largely muted, though some believe more cash needed to be spent in certain areas.
That includes the Australian Education Union, which claimed the funding gaps between Victorian TAFEs and those in other states is yet to be addressed.
“It is completely unacceptable that our TAFEs are not funded to cover the cost of delivering courses,” the Union’s Victorian Branch president Justin Mulally said.
Meantime, the Victorian Farmers Federation pointed to “the lack of clarity” surrounding regional issues.
“For many this Budget will be seen to kick the can down the road during an election year,” acting VFF president Peter Star said.
“Farmers and regional Victorians have been extremely vocal in their opposition to the Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund Levy changes. They’ve been left in the dark as to its future and we’ll be continuing to call for it to be scrapped entirely.”
Also offering their two cents was Regional Cities Victoria – a body representing the state’s ten major non-metro councils, including the City of Greater Bendigo.
“If this is a budget about priorities and ambitions of the government then it’s clear regional Victoria and sustainable regional municipalities are not part of either,” RCV chair Ben Blain said.
“There is little or no new investment beyond the status quo for better regional roads, for more affordable homes in the regions, and for transformative community infrastructure to support the liveability regional Victorians deserve.”
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