With the fifth anniversary of the 2019/20 fires just months away, Gippsland East Nationals’ MP, Tim Bull, has questioned why jetties and toilet blocks at Mallacoota and walking trails in the Croajingolong National Park have not been re-built or re-opened.

Speaking in Parliament, Mr Bull said these were facilities and toilet blocks important to Mallacoota’s tourism attraction and remain unrepaired since the fires.

“The community rightly wants to know why, and they want a timeframe,” he said.

“With much fanfare the Labor Government recently announced free camping. What East Gippslanders want is their camping sites re-opened and facilities rebuilt.

“Five years on the Thurra River campsite, the region’s biggest, still cannot be accessed because they could not re-build a bridge in five years at a location where one was built 40 years ago.

“At some of the Mallacoota locations, temporary Portaloos were provided and maintained where toilets were damaged, but they have recently been removed without replacement, leaving visitors with no facilities - an environmental concern,” he said.

“Why have the Portaloos been removed from areas around the lake, given they were being used by the public? Is this another cost cutting exercise?” he asked.

Mr Bull said the temporary facilities should not be required after all this time, as these structures should be rebuilt.

He also asked for the community to be given a date when these jetties and toilet blocks would be rebuilt at locations including Sou West Arm, Sandy Point, Kingfish Point jetty, Goanna Bay and Genoa River fire trail.

“A recent government media release praised itself for opening of 31km of four-wheel drive tracks and walking tracks in Victoria. In East Gippsland many local tracks remain closed after two-five years due to fire and flood.

“These include Dunes Track, Saros Track, Sledge Track, Wingan Inlet Rapids Walk, Betka Track, Miners Track, Lakeview Track, Howe Flat Track, Howe Hill Track and Barracoota Track.

“I have also requested a date as to when these will be opened.

“This is of course in addition to the Cape Conran Cabins replacement not even having been started after five years. It really is an absolute disgrace for the government that said it would help us in recovery.”

Mr Bull called on Parks’ chair, John Pandazopolous and Minister Steve Dimopoulos to give the community some concrete timeframes on all the above.

Bairnsdale City Oval and Lindenow South Recreation Reserve have received grant funding to enhance community cricket infrastructure, thanks to the support of the Australian Cricket Infrastructure Fund.

State Member for Gippsland East and cricket tragic, Tim Bull, said this is a fantastic outcome for the successful clubs and a great investment in grassroots participation.

“While two facilities were directly funded, the entire Bairnsdale Cricket Association will benefit from these upgrades,” Mr Bull said.

The Bairnsdale City Oval, home of West Bairnsdale Cricket Club, will see its five-turf wicket square refurbished. Meanwhile, Lindenow South Cricket Club will receive funding to upgrade its synthetic training nets.

“By helping clubs modernise their facilities, we’re enabling local communities to cater for even more people keen to get involved in cricket,” Mr Bull said.

“We know East Gippsland bats above its average in producing cricket talent, with many going on to play at representative levels.”

With the success of the women’s cricket competition starting last season, Mr Bull said it is great to see the sport is growing in this area.

“This program supports projects that attract and grow involvement in cricket by providing safe, accessible, and welcoming playing and training environments that are fit for purpose,” Mr Bull said.

Monday, 28 October 2024

It has now been confirmed by the Labor State Government that in the midst of a housing crisis, East Gippsland Shire has four less social housing homes than when it came to government nearly 10 years ago.

Housing Minister, Harriet Shing, whose Upper House electorate covers East Gippsland, confirmed in a signed response to a question from Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull, that the figures in the department annual report were correct – showing that there were 931 social housing dwellings in the East Gippsland on June 2023, two less than June 2017, where there were 933 social housing dwellings.

“The reality of it is, we have less homes in many local government areas across the state, including Gippsland. There are less social housing homes in Wellington Shire Council and significantly less in the Latrobe Valley,” said Mr Bull

“In the midst of significant population increase and a housing crisis worsened by Labor pushing landlords from the rental market, we have two less social housing homes in East Gippsland than we had in Labor’s first term.

“This government spruiks about its so-called Big Housing Build, but it is irrelevant how many homes you build if at the same time you are demolishing or selling off a greater number, resulting in a net loss. That is what has occurred here.

“Whenever she is publicly questioned on this, Ms Shing wants to talk about what the Liberals and Nationals did in Government to deflect from her failure to have supported her own electorate.
Even then, the answer to her question is, we had a public housing waiting list around half of what it is now. It has exploded to 61,587 under her watch.

“It is not a Big Housing Build at all, it is more a big housing con,” said Mr Bull.

“The government has led people to believe these new homes are all additional homes boosting social housing numbers - but they are not.

“In addition to having less homes, when you look at the net amount of bedrooms, it is an even worse outcome.

“The homes that are being sold off or demolished around the region are in some cases 3-4 bedroom homes and they are being replaced by one and two bedroom dwellings, so apart from the reduction in homes, we’ve lost a significant number of bedrooms also,” said Mr Bull.

Monday, 28 October 2024

Regional Roads Victoria (RRV), the government’s much touted rural arm of VicRoads is no longer, having been swallowed up into a new entity labelled “Transport Victoria”.

Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull, said RRV was only ever established for government propaganda to make it seem like Labor cared about regional roads. The only notification we had of its demise is when it disappeared off signature blocks.

“RRV was announced with much fanfare by the then Roads Minister in 2018 with a claim that ‘regional Victorians will get the attention they deserve’.

“What a load of hogwash that turned out to be as country roads budgets were cut and our roads deteriorated.

“Even last week the Allan Labor Government admitted it was forced to fill about 220,000 potholes last year – that’s more than one for every 100 metres of state-managed roads.

“In addition, the government’s own website to log claims for damage caused by roads is now reporting it is ‘currently experiencing higher than usual demands’,” said Mr Bull.

Shadow Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Danny O’Brien, said our roads have become an appalling mish-mash of potholes, cracks, rutting and uneven surfaces.

“Any road engineer will tell you that potholes are a symptom of failure to maintain the roads. With road resealing activity dropping by two-thirds this year, the situation is likely to only get worse in future.

“Labor has been ignoring the necessary preventative maintenance in favour of patch jobs and that means our roads are likely to get worse.

"This Government has presided over $41 billion of mega-project cost blow-outs but has left our state roads looking more like goat tracks,” he said.

Nationals Eastern Region Upper House MP, Melina Bath said the state’s road maintenance budget is now 16 per cent less than it was in 2020 and resurfacing works this year will drop by two-thirds.

“Given 62 per cent of all road deaths this year have occurred in regional Victoria, Labor must cast its eyes beyond the tram tracks and start delivering safer roads.

“Labor can’t manage money, can’t manage our roads, and regional Victorians are paying the price,” she said.

Tuesday, 22 October 2024

The Labor State Government is forcing people who have received erroneous land tax bills they still have to pay up in the hope they get reimbursed later.

Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull, questioned Treasurer Tim Pallas, on behalf of East Gippslanders who have received what are clearly erroneous land tax bills, but were still being forced by the State Revenue Office (SRO) to pay the accounts.

Mr Pallas responded by stating “the measure (of forcing them to pay) prevents taxpayers using objections as a way to defer payment of a liability”, but that “if the objection is successful, the overpaid tax, with interest, will be refunded or applied to an outstanding tax liability”.

“What this does not take into account is the family that’s being forced to make a payment that has been charged in error may not have the capacity to pay the amount,” said Mr Bull.

He said in-effect the Treasurer is saying that despite his process stuffing things up, people must still find money to pay and hope they get it back down the track.

“The people who have come to my office have lodged objections to the charges that have clearly been made in error, but despite an answer to their complaint pending, still have to stump up the incorrectly charged amount.

“We have the Treasurer on one hand continually talking about cost-of-living challenges, but then making heartless decisions like this.

“Talk about say one thing and then do another. There is clearly no understanding how this sort of thing can impact families,” he said.

Tuesday, 15 October 2024

VicRoads has been asked not to undertake the intersection works at Princes Highway / McEacharn Street and Bullumwaal Road / Howitt Avenue at the same time.

Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull, said that in the Eastwood / Wy Yung area there was over 4,000 residents and many more in outlying communities who work or attend school in Bairnsdale.

“If we were to have both major routes into the town impacted at the same time, it will cause traffic chaos,” he said.

Mr Bull said after the Federal Government provided the funding to the State for these two projects over four years ago, it has sat on its hands, so it is ridiculous to think after waiting this long they will stage these works concurrently.

“If they completed one of the projects first and then moved on to the next, it would allow locals to travel by the alternate route and get in and out of town much easier.

“Of a morning, and to a lesser extent the afternoons, they are particularly busy intersections, so to add delays at these times will have the traffic backed up for long distances.

“I have raised the matter in the hope one job can be finished before the other is started, and the timeframes are articulated to local residents. At the moment all we know is work will commence on both projects before Christmas. Let’s hope some common sense prevails,” Mr Bull said.

Federal Member for Gippsland, Darren Chester, said he had received no explanations for the long delays in delivering the McEacharn Street project.

“The roundabout was fully funded in 2020 under the previous Federal Coalition Government, and we have waited four years because this incompetent State Government hasn’t started work.

“We couldn’t get this Andrews / Allan State Government interested in road safety and dealing with Victorian transport department bureaucrats is a nightmare because none of them actually live in the area and care about the condition of our roads.

“The least they can do now is avoid inconvenience,” Mr Chester said.

Caption: Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, pictured at the McEacharn Street intersection, says to avoid traffic chaos in Bairnsdale, both major road projects should be staged and not undertaken concurrently.

Monday, 14 October 2024