Regional Victoria missing out on services city people take for granted

RURAL Australians are right to be angry about missing out on services that city dwellers take for granted and that inequality must end, writes Katie Bice.

Rural Australians are right to be angry about missing out on services that city dwellers take for granted and that inequality must end, writes Katie Bice. Picture: Ian Currie

COUNTRY Victorians are being failed by those who live in the city.

They are right to be angry with the out-of-sight, out-of-mind attitude we take to their issues.

It must be frustrating to watch the cash splash announced for metropolitan Melbourne in the lead-up to state elections when they are without reliable basics.

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Gippsland farmer Simon Barnes feeds his dairy cattle on his Orbost property. Picture: Ian Currie

Victorians living in the regions are often walking a tightrope those of us in the city can’t appreciate, where droughts, floods and bushfires or the closure of one business can impact on families’ livelihoods.

Those who live in the regions appreciate that the further they are from town, the more limited their access will be to what others may consider everyday essentials.

Our new Fair Go for the Bush series looks at the gulf between the country and their city cousins — and the results are startling.

Incomes lag behind the city by $400 a week for big rural towns and nearly $600 for smaller ones.

Those in the country die sooner than those in the city and are killed in road accidents more often. They perform worse during their schooling — ultimately leaving before they finish year 10 at twice the rate of kids in Melbourne. Access to higher education is limited to how close you are to one of the bigger rural towns, like Bendigo or Ballarat, or the willingness to leave home.

One in four households don’t have the internet, something unimaginable for those in the city.

Rural Victorians aren’t asking for much either: better access to health services, good quality roads and decent internet and phone coverage. Think for a minute of the struggle of running a big working property, trying to place orders, pay bills and staff without decent internet. Or the dangers of working with heavy machinery in areas where mobile phone coverage is patchy at best.

Anthony and Sarah Snow on their farm in Bengwarden, East Gippsland, where there has been minimal autumn and winter rain. Picture: David Geraghty

The bush needs to be in crisis before anyone notices and then a parade of politicians flounce through town throwing around promises and waltzing out again — until the next disaster hits.

The regional lifestyle has a lot to offer. You are never stuck in traffic jam or spending ages looking for a car park, house prices are affordable and cost of living is relatively low.

But it will continue to be an unattractive proposition until families can be guaranteed something near the education and health services those in the city take for granted.

Katie Bice is the Sunday Herald Sun deputy editor
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