Become a Member Become a Member

Adequate funding from state government would significantly change the Mornington Peninsula as we know it

Adequate local funding from the state and federal governments is vital to deliver local services, support businesses and invest in infrastructure for Mornington Peninsula communities.

However, the Mornington Peninsula receives significantly less funding than some of our neighbours, including Geelong. Put simply, we’ve missed out on hundreds of millions of dollars in funding over the last 10 years.

 

To investigate these differences and illuminate just some of the privileges that we have lost, the Committee for Greater Frankston recently engaged Urban Enterprise to carry out benchmarking analysis of Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula in comparison to Greater Geelong.

The Frankston Report, where relevant for the Mornington Peninsula, compares the funding received in our area with that of Geelong. Geelong makes a suitable case study because it’s similar in terms of proximity to the city and socioeconomic profile (when the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston are combined).

While we celebrate that Geelong has been able to secure funding for its community, we question why the Mornington Peninsula area — which is comparable in terms of population and demographics — shouldn’t receive a comparable amount of funding.

The research conducted by Urban Enterprise drew on information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census data, id. consulting, grant funding data from Local Government Victoria and Victorian Government budget data. Below are the key findings.

When it comes to the state budget analysis over the past 11 years, we can see that:

  • Frankston/Mornington Peninsula received $2.04 billion in state government funding, while Geelong has received $4.95 billion — a difference of $2.91 billion.
  • Geelong received 2.4 times more funding than Frankston/Mornington Peninsula.
  • Per capita, Frankston/Mornington Peninsula was granted approximately $6,557; Geelong was granted $18,268.
  • Most of the extra funds allocated to Geelong were funnelled into transport, economic development, and community and justice funding.

Regarding grant funding to local government:

  • In 2021, Geelong received approximately $90 million in funding, while Frankston/Mornington Peninsula received $65 million (a difference of $25 million).
  • Geelong has received more funding than Frankston/Mornington Peninsula for seven of the last 10 years.
  • Overall, Frankston/Mornington Peninsula has been allocated approximately $542.5 million over the last decade, while Geelong has been allocated approximately $591.4 million.

These statistics are startling on their own, and become even more telling when we look at how much the government has invested in these areas per capita:

  • In 2021, Frankston/Mornington Peninsula received $210 in government funding per capita, while Geelong received $334 per capita.
  • In 2021, Geelong enjoyed nearly 60 per cent more grant funding per capita than Frankston/Mornington Peninsula.

This very real disparity in funding has real implications for local Mornington Peninsula families and businesses. In an area that’s in dire need of greater investment in transport, infrastructure, health, education and recreation, greater funding would come with huge benefits to how we live and work.

This election, we deserve more from our elected representatives.