Victorian election 2022: Libs promise boost to regional tourism
Matthew Guy has made a funding pledge to regional local councils to boost Victorian tourism if he is elected as Premier.
State Election
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This article is the Herald Sun’s rolling election coverage. Read on for all the latest announcements and action from the campaign trail.
Regional tourism would be given a much needed boost if Matthew Guy is elected as Premier this weekend.
The Opposition Leader announced a $6m funding pool for regional local councils, allowing them to upgrade RV, caravanning and camping facilities while improving regional airports.
After panning for gold at Ballarat’s historic Sovereign Hill site, Mr Guy said the regions were desperate to upgrade damaged and out-of-date facilities.
“We need people back, from both around the country and around the globe, but that starts with giving our tourism industry the confidence it needs to invest and grow,” he said on Friday.
“It’s a fabulous tourist attraction, it’s part of our state’s future, selling Victoria to the world.
“That’s what our industry tourism strategy is about.”
The funding would allow local councils to upgrade campsites and introduce and improve dump points to attract more visitors to regional towns.
More allocated parking and increased signage would also be part of the plan.
“It’s about creating jobs and getting Victorians out to the regions to see the best of what our state has to offer,” he added.
“Attracting new businesses, new industry, new tourists in this sector to Victoria.
“It’s about confidence in this state and confidence in this sector.”
Opposition tourism spokeswoman Cindy McLeish said the ‘airport attraction strategy’ would help to upgrade regional airports and attract new airlines across the state.
“That’s why we are having an airport attraction strategy, New South Wales and Queensland did this months and months ago,” she said.
“They’ve already started to see some of the benefits of that.
“We’re behind the 8-ball.
“It’s should have been done and it hasn’t been done.
“We know our best days are ahead of us and to do that we need to make sure the systems and processes are in place to allow that to happen.”
$24m pledge for kindergartens, tech schools
On the final day of the campaign, Daniel Andrews made a final pitch to parents, promising a $24m funding boost for kindergartens and tech schools across the state.
Speaking from a kindergarten in Northcote on Friday morning — where Labor is fighting to hold off the Greens — Mr Andrews pledged $15m worth of one-off grants, with every kindergarten in the state to receive $5,000.
An extra $3.6m will also be channelled into helping establish 150 Bush Kinder programs each year, with $6,000 grants delivered to kinders for nature programs.
To target Victorians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, the funding package also provides $3.7m in funding for 10 new bilingual kinders across the state.
Grants of up to $10,000 will also be awarded to existing toy libraries, and eight new toy libraries will be created as part of a $1.9m investment.
The funding boost comes after Labor pledged to make three and four year old kinder free from 2023.
“If we invest and we give every young Victorian the best start, then they’ll have the best life,” the Premier said.
“That’s not a cost. It’s a profound investment in the future.”
With Labor planning to revive the SEC, Mr Andrews also pledged to invest $116m to open six new Tech Schools.
The new schools, which will be established in Frankston, Dandenong, Hume, Brimbank, Warrnambool and Wangaratta, will support around 62,000 students.
An extra $10m in funding will also be given to new and existing Tech Schools for new equipment, including batteries, robotics and circuits.
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