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In conversation with the Victorian Treasurer

It was standing room only at Cptn Jack’s in Somerville in June as the Committee for Mornington Peninsula held its Victorian Budget briefing with Treasurer Tim Pallas.  The committee put on a lunch followed by a members’ Q&A with more than 60 people attending.

It is vital that our region has conversations directly with key decision-makers at all levels of government. The Committee for Mornington Peninsula discussed with Mr Pallas the need to keep funding allocated for infrastructure projects within our region; how we can better advocate within a metropolitan Melbourne designation; and the importance of government needing to invest in road, public transport, and infrastructure upgrades.

During the forum, members asked questions relating to payroll tax concessions; inclusive workforces; additional taxes on business; infrastructure funding for projects on the Mornington Peninsula; and higher education training opportunities for young workers in our region.

Government must invest for the long term on the Mornington Peninsula. Over the next 10 years there will be a growing renewable energy economy in Hastings. This will mean jobs and local economic growth, and we must demand that government invest in where we live and work. What does this look like? It means seriously better public transport services, a targeted increase in the supply of accommodation, and drastic improvement to infrastructure.

The committee would like to thank Hastings state Labor MP Paul Mercurio and his office for helping facilitate this event, as well as Hart Marine and Cptn Jack’s for hosting it. We hope to make this an annual event for our members where we can provide an opportunity for businesses and not-for-profits to engage directly with the most senior members of the government.

We now have a seat at the table with the most powerful figures in government, and we aren’t here just to keep that seat warm.

JOSH SINCLAIR
COMMITTEE FOR MORNINGTON PENINSULA

First published in Mornington Peninsula Magazine - August 2023.