Roads, population growth – key state election issues for Victorian regional cities

Mayors leading regional Victoria’s major cities rallied for a $2 billion boost to road funding at a pre-election function co-hosted by the Rural Press Club of Victoria in Geelong.

The united road funding policy launch was made at Regional Cities Victoria’s annual conference, with leaders from 10 of the state’s highest-populated municipalities outside Melbourne signing onto the $500 million per annum plan, to be rolled out over the coming parliamentary term.

Regional Cities Victoria chairman Ben Blain said the extra $500 million over four years to repair state-run roads was needed above and beyond current funding levels.

Cr Blain, who also serves as Warrnambool’s mayor, launched a pre-election policy push for a separate $1 billion fund focused on building new housing and community infrastructure.

“Our $1 billion regional investment fund is about putting funding back on the table ahead of the election. It sends a clear message that regional Victoria matters,” he said.

BOM CEO Stuart Minchin says further improvements will be made to the bureau’s website and app.

Keynote speaker at the Fyansford event, Bureau of Meteorology chief executive Stuart Minchin, outlined how the nation’s weather forecasting organisation was adapting to the changing climate and technology of the 2020s.

Tackling the controversy over the $96 million makeover of the BoM’s website and app, Dr Minchin said his team was working through the ‘comprehensive’ feedback it had received to address problems people were still having with the site.

“It was not perfect, and it didn’t meet everyone’s needs but it is still the most used public website in Australia, receiving about 2 million visits a day,” he said.

“There are actually more people using our website than there were before the update.”

Dr Michin confirmed the bureau was investigating how to use artificial intelligence (AI) to improve forecasting.

“AI offers great opportunity for incorporating more data on things like the land surface, the terrain, the vegetation into our forecasts that can help us customise forecasts and improve the accuracy of localised forecasts in the future.”

Left to right: RPCV vice president Alex Sinnott, Horsham mayor Brian Klowss, Ballarat mayor Tracey Hargreaves and Mildura Mayor Ali Cupper.

Mildura mayor Ali Cupper, Ballarat mayor Tracey Hargreaves and Horsham mayor Brian Klowss took part in a panel discussion hosted by RPCV vice president Alex Sinnott.

All three mayors said the rural journalists and regional media outlets played an important role in providing a balanced view of municipal matters in the social media age.

“I want to give a shout-out to the Rural Press Club and country journos who do this great work.