Victorian election 2022: Rural roads, agriculture and jobs forgotten

Just four of the 849 Labor, Greens and Coalition’s election commitments mention agriculture – and none mention council rates.

Rural communities face far more pressing issues, as many battle to rebuild after the recent floods. Picture: Jason Edwards

Election commitments to farmers and rural councils are all but absent in the 2022 Victorian election campaign.

Analysis of the 849 election commitments listed on Victoria’s independent Parliamentary Budget Office website, as of Monday night, show just four mention of agriculture and no mention of council rates.

Victorian Nationals leader Peter Walsh has promised $100m over a decade to establish a soil research and innovation hub to be called VicSoil, plus $8m for agriculture extension.

Labor has promised $30m to expand agricultural export opportunities, while the Greens want $15.5m to establish a centre for regenerative agriculture to promote organic and biodynamic farming.

But rural communities face far more pressing issues, as many battle to rebuild after the recent floods, dairy and power plant owners cut jobs, gas prices soar and the courts halt native timber harvesting, forcing standowns in paper and sawlog mills.

Municipal Association of Victoria president and farmer David Clark said “the one issue that’s really pressing is flood support to build back.”

He said the election commitments to date had been “pretty scant in the local government space, apart from the Opposition’s ($288 million) country roads and bridges funding”.

Councils fear a lack of government funding means they will still be battling to rebuilt flood damaged roads and other rural infrastructure in two years’ time. Picture: Jason Edwards

A lack of state government support and onerous administrative rules on federal disaster relief led Mr Clark to conclude “it’s quite feasible that in two years’ time we’ve barely rebuilt the damage from the floods.”

Labor has promised $165m to repair flood damaged roads, as part of a $351m package that gives regional communities immediate support.

But Mr Clark has previously said that sum falls well short of the mark and most of the election campaign messaging had been about “health, health, health”.As for agriculture Victorian Farmers Federation president Emma Germano said while both major parties had made significant commitments to regional health, “there’s little in the way of significant funding and reform for other rural issues, like roads, local government funding and farm biosecurity.”

She said the next government “needed to focus on critical infrastructure that has been neglected in regional Victoria.

“All we’re getting is rats and mice, when we need a total mindset shift for agriculture and the regions,” Ms Germano said.

“I am most disappointed that Labor has failed to invest in rural road maintenance and repair.

“That’s why I wrote to Premier Daniel Andrews last week calling on him to show that Labor is in touch with country communities by promising long-term (road) funding certainty.”

“Every pothole regional Victorians drive over on their way to the polling booth will be a reminder of just how neglected our roads are.”