Addressing critical workforce shortages, upgrading local roads, and fast-tracking construction of more homes are priorities for Regional Cities Victoria heading into this year’s federal election.
RCV Chair Cr Shane Sali, Mayor of Greater Shepparton, said with the right investment and policy settings regional Victoria can house a greater proportion of the state’s population and contribute to the nation’s economic prosperity.
Regional Cities Victoria (RCV) Chair Shane Sali has cautiously welcomed the cost-of living relief for taxpayers outlined in the 2025-26 Federal Budget but says broader investment is needed to help regional Victoria prosper.
Cr Sali welcomed budget initiatives for regional areas to deliver more homes, boost health, education and childcare, complete the NBN rollout, and secure greater accountability from banks and supermarkets, but noted Victoria’s share of big-ticket infrastructure investment included $2bn for a suburban railway station and $1bn for a suburban roads blitz.
Like much of Australia, regional Victoria has a shortage of houses. It’s making it harder for young people to buy a first home and stay in our regions, and harder to attract new people for jobs.
Our story is not unique. That’s why there’s a national push to build more houses and units – to make homes cheaper and rentals easier to find and afford.
But long before anyone puts the key in a door and unlocks the great Australian dream, we need things like pipes, poles and paths in the ground – and the experts to put them there.
Regional Cities Victoria is a leadership group dedicated to building a sustainable regional Australia by providing strategic advice, coordination, and advocacy to state and federal governments.
Comprising the Mayors and CEOs of the ten largest cities in regional Victoria – Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Horsham, Latrobe, Mildura, Shepparton, Wangaratta, Warrnambool, and Wodonga – Regional Cities Victoria is focused on achieving real change in regional Victoria through policy development and implementation. We represent the more than 800,000 Australians that live in these municipalities.
Victoria’s regional cities underpin region-scale economies, liveability, and support the state’s economic growth. People living across regional Australia also rely on regional cities as ‘hubs’ for access to education, health, financial, transport and social services, as well as retail, sport and recreation, and cultural amenities.
Every single day, an extra 35 people call one of our regional cities home. Local government is at the forefront of responding to this net population growth and maintaining the liveability for which regional Victoria is renowned. Regional Cities Victoria’s vision is to develop and advocate for policies that invest equitably and sustainably in our regional cities to support a growing and prosperous Australia.
