May 2024 - Regional Cities Victoria

MEDIA RELEASE
RCV response to 2024-25 Federal Budget

Wednesday 15 May 2024

Regional Cities Victoria (RCV) Chair Cr Shane Sali, Mayor of Shepparton said the 2024-25 Federal Budget delivered an important victory for RCV, with funding to help ease the housing shortage in regional Victoria.

“RCV welcomes the Federal Government’s $1 billion investment in a program that can help unlock more housing in regional Victoria,” Cr Sali said.

The Government is making available an extra $1 billion to states and territories to deliver new housing – including for connecting essential services such as water, power, sewerage and roads. This investment expands on the $500 million already committed through the Housing Support Program to support enabling infrastructure to unlock more homes.

“In the lead up to both the State and Federal Budgets, RCV advocated for greater investment in enabling infrastructure to unlock new housing stock in regional cities. The expanded Housing Support Program will help local government make it quicker, easier and more affordable for people to build new homes in Victoria’s regions.”

“RCV is committed to strengthening our regional economies, encouraging sustainable growth, and maximising regional liveability. We want to help build a prosperous regional Victoria through investment in infrastructure and services that help grow our cities’ economies and communities,” Cr Sali said.

“To do that we need considered investment that underpins long-term economic prosperity, keeps the cost of living down, and improves liveability in the regions.

“Challenges such as a lack of housing supply and workforce shortages need to be addressed in the short term to unlock regional Victoria’s growth potential.”

RCV acknowledged the Albanese Government’s continued support of regional Australia through ongoing investment made in programs including Growing Regions, Roads to Recovery, Housing Support and Regional Precincts and Partnerships.

However, Cr Sali said RCV remained concerned about the lack of investment in community infrastructure needed to meet the growing number of people who want to live and work in regional Victoria.

“It’s been two years since the Albanese Government was elected. We’ve had reviews and we’ve lost some big projects. These announcements of buckets of money were welcome, but it’s time to tip that money into regional Victoria,” Cr Sali said.

“Local infrastructure projects are a vital part of any regional community. They not only improve the liveability of regional cities and towns but also contribute to the local economy and create local jobs.

“RCV will continue to work with and advocate to the Federal Government to ensure regional Victorians are not left behind – this is specifically important given the pace of growth across regional Victoria.”

Regional Cities Victoria comprises the 10 largest regional cities in Victoria – Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Horsham, Latrobe, Mildura, Shepparton, Wangaratta, Warrnambool and Wodonga.

Collectively, these cities are home to more than 800,000 Victorians, and contribute to approximately 10 per cent of Victoria’s economy.

Media contact: Emily Broadbent – 0413 133 627

CRITICAL WORKERS

13 May 2024

Regional Cities Victoria (RCV) has welcomed the Federal Government’s $300 weekly payment to support students on work placement when training for critical occupations – but said that support must include placements for Victoria’s future town planners.

RCV is the peak body for regional Victoria, comprising of the 10 largest cities of Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Horsham, Latrobe, Mildura, Shepparton, Wangaratta, Warrnambool, and Wodonga.
Collectively, these cities are home to more than 800,000 Victorians, and contribute to approximately 10 per cent of Victoria’s economy.

RCV Chair, Cr Shane Sali acknowledged regional businesses were suffering from skills and labour shortages across a range of sectors, namely: hospitals and health services, aged care, early childhood education, food production, advanced manufacturing, and the hospitality sector (seasonal workforce).

However Cr Sali said regional Victoria was specifically experiencing extreme challenges due to a state-wide shortage of planning and engineering staff.

RCV’s submission to the Federal 2024-25 Budget highlights the shortage of planners, noting that while all local governments are struggling to recruit and retain planners, regionally based councils faced additional barriers such as struggling to match the salaries offered in metropolitan roles or the private sector and the need to attract staff not only to the role, but to the region, when seeking to source staff from outside the area.

Demand for workers in regional areas is at an all-time high. The Victorian Skills Plan for 2023 into 2024 highlights that more than 75,000 new workers are expected in regional Victoria by 2026.

Attracting and retaining skilled workers is a key challenge for businesses and organisations in regional Victoria, exacerbated by a shortage of housing and accommodation options which is driving up the costs of living in regional Victoria.

Quotes to attribute to RCV Chair, Cr Shane Sali, Mayor of Greater Shepparton:

“Support for student placements for critical occupations must include planners – especially in regional Victoria.

“We just can’t meet the expectations of government commitments, like the Housing Statement, if we don’t have the professionals to do the work – such as planners, engineers, building surveyors and project managers.

“If we’re going to tackle the housing crisis, and we’re going to manage the growth of our regional areas, we really need the Federal Government to recognise planners as critical occupations and incentivise training for these jobs too.”

Media: Emily Broadbent 0413 133 627

RCV response to 2024-25 Victorian Budget

Regional Cities Victoria (RCV) Chair Cr Shane Sali, Mayor of Shepparton, described today’s Victorian Budget as a modest Budget for regional Victoria.

“It’s a Budget that does what it has to, but not necessarily what it needs to for regional Victoria,” Cr Sali said.

“There’s a lot we’ve been asked to look back on, but not that much to look forward to.”

Cr Sali acknowledged modest investment in regional areas across health, transport and education as well as emergency recovery and road maintenance.

However, he said RCV was concerned about the lack of future investment opportunities in community infrastructure needed to meet the growing number of people who want to live and work in regional Victoria.

“We are disappointed the Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund has not been reinstated, because for regional Victoria there is no pathway for future projects beyond the existing pipeline currently under construction.

“Regional Victoria needs considered investment to underpin long-term economic prosperity and improve liveability in the regions. Challenges such as trunk infrastructure to unlock new housing and workforce shortages need to be addressed urgently to support regional Victoria’s growth.

“RCV will continue to work with and advocate to the Victorian Government to ensure regional Victorians are not left behind – showcasing everything our regions have to offer and capitalising on people’s interest to live, work, and visit our cities.”

Regional Cities Victoria comprises the 10 largest regional cities in Victoria – Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Horsham, Latrobe, Mildura, Shepparton, Wangaratta, Warrnambool and Wodonga.

Collectively, these cities are home to more than 800,000 Victorians, and contribute to approximately 10 per cent of Victoria’s economy.

Media contact: Emily Broadbent – 0413 133 627

GROWING OUR REGIONS

3 May 2024

Regional Cities Victoria (RCV) has welcomed the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council’s
State of the Housing System 2024 report released today.

RCV was particularly keen to see the report highlight reforms to address a lack of enabling
infrastructure (8.1.4, p154) as a key element to one of the 10 areas that would increase housing
supply.

In its submissions to both Federal and State Budgets this year, RCV called on governments to fund
enabling, or trunk infrastructure to help unlock more land for housing.

RCV acknowledges and welcomes the Federal Government’s $500 million Housing Support Fund
announced in March but has called for the State Government to match that with a new $250 million
fund for new dwellings across regional Victoria, using proceeds from the Government’s Windfall Gains
Tax.

More than 40 houses need to be built in the regions every single day for the next 10 years to meet the
Victorian Government’s Housing Statement targets.

RCV has suggested that developers help pay for this, but water and sewerage infrastructure cannot be
included in Developer Contributions Plans in Victoria and no commitment has been made to revise
eligibility requirements.

RCV is the peak body for regional Victoria, comprising of the 10 largest cities of Ballarat, Bendigo,
Geelong, Horsham, Latrobe, Mildura, Shepparton, Wangaratta, Warrnambool, and Wodonga.

Collectively, these cities are home to more than 800,000 Victorians, and contribute to approximately
10 per cent of Victoria’s economy.

Quotes to attribute to RCV Chair, Cr Shane Sali, Mayor of Greater Shepparton:

“We absolutely want to make it quicker, easier, and cheaper for people to build their home in regional
Victoria.”

“We’ve got the space to grow, but the need for utilities for these areas – such as new water pipes or
bigger sewage plants – is stopping development.”

“Local governments are keen to play their role in unlocking land supply – it means more homes and
more jobs for our regions – but the lack of pipes and water is holding back local businesses and making
the housing crisis worse.”

CASE STUDIES

Bendigo: Calder Hwy Maiden Gully signalised intersection ($7m for 2,093 new homes)
Two residential subdivisions and a new supermarket in Maiden Gully are not able to proceed until the
junction of Calder Highway and Maiden Gully Rd is signalised – estimated at $7m. Signalisation of this
intersection will immediately unlock land for 141 new homes in a key growth area in Bendigo and
enable a further 1,952 new homes thereafter.

Latrobe: Lake Narracan Intersection Projects ($TBD for 3,700 new homes)
Several intersections are required to support the release of land within the Lake Narracan Precinct
Structure Plan area in Moe/Newborough. Council is currently seeking funding of $3m to support the
cost of commissioning traffic modelling, detailed design, and approval of the intersections, to unlock
3,700 new homes.

Geelong: Northern and Western Geelong Growth Area ($TBD for >160 new homes)
Unlocking more developable land in NWGGA if an online system lifecycle management analysis is done
for the City to support an online drainage system. The current Creamery Road PSP demonstrates that
this could deliver an increase in net developable of 16 Hectares of land.

Shepparton: Water mains in Kialla and Kialla West growth areas ($3.9m for 7,000+ new homes)
Development within the Kialla North and Kialla West precincts (>700 ha) depends on new water
infrastructure along the Goulburn Valley Highway corridor. Unless dedicated additional funding is
made available, the 5km of new water pipes needed will not be built until 2032 – at least 4 years after
population projections indicate new homes in this area are needed.

Wodonga: Trunk Sewer Upgrade project ($50m to accommodate growth to 2040)
Based on current growth rates the capacity of Wodonga’s ‘No.1 Sewer Pumping Station’ will be met in
the very near future. Without 5.4km of large diameter gravity sewer along with a new pumping
station, opportunities for future development and economic growth in the city and surrounds will be
significantly restricted.

Wangaratta: ($23.7m for 3250 new homes)
• Clarks Lane housing development ($7m for 350 new homes) A $7m investment in sewerage
treatment infrastructure will unlock 350 residential lots.
• South Growth Area ($9.1m for 700 new homes) Trunk drainage infrastructure to the value of
$4.4m together with main road infrastructure to the value of $4.7 with unlock 700 new
residential lots.
• North West Growth Area ($5m for 2,000 new homes) Trunk drainage infrastructure to the
value of $5m with help unlock 2000 new residential lots.
• Former Ovens College site ($2.6m for 200 new homes) A $2.6m investment in sewerage
treatment infrastructure will unlock 200 new dwellings.