In responding to a call to continue the Gippsland Lakes Environment Fund this week, State Labor said the money was not included by the previous government in forward estimates.

This is not true.

The fund was drawn from the Regional Growth Fund, which was in the forward estimates and which Labor has scrapped.

It is one of a number of funding arrangements to this region and regional Victoria that will halt with the scrapping of the Regional Growth Fund.

It was in the forward estimates and it was committed to by the Coalition pre-election.

Bipartisan support could not be gained pre-election, one of the major reasons being Labor’s candidate, who lives hundreds of kilometres from the electorate, only visited her would be electorate for a few hours two days before the election before disappearing again.

It should be funded and rather than make excuses that are wrong, Labor should make a rare trip to East Gippsland and announce funding for this program.