Now is the "best time ever" to live, work and build a home in regional Victoria, insists the state's Regional Development Minister, Jaala Pulford
The Labor government's third budget promises to invest a "record" $4 billion in regional roads, schools, rail and other infrastructure, with the government claiming it will create 50,000 jobs along the way.
A $1.45 billion Regional Rail Revival package promises major upgrades across the Gippsland, Surf Coast, Warrnambool and Ararat lines but is reliant on the federal government handing over funds.
Regional roads are also on the agenda in the 2017/18 budget, with money set aside for the South Gippsland Highway, Henty Highway, narrow sealed roads and a road improvement program in the southwest.
The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry says better rail and roads will strengthen business and job growth.
Highlights include a cut in payroll tax by 25 per cent to regional businesses, an already-announced plan to double the first home owners' grant for regional buyers to $20,000 and a $45 million investment in boosting regional online coverage.
Nationals leader Peter Walsh says the government is taxing regional Victorians more but giving them less, with no new funds for country hospitals, new police stations or more officers and no cost-of-living relief for families.
"There's no plan for Victoria's population and no plan to help our regional cities and towns grow and realise their full potential," he said in a statement.
Ms Pulford says the government hasn't just "waltzed" into regional towns and decided what local communities need but has ensured the budget is about "people setting the agenda".
Part of that commitment is to action projects identified by Regional Partnerships, including early works on the Shipwreck Coast, the Swan Hill Riverfront Development project and plans to bring more tourism and jobs to Gippsland.
The Victorian Farmers Federation has praised moves to slash regional business tax and plans to scrap insurance duties on agricultural products.
However rural streets and highways remain a point of contention for the RACV, with public policy director Brian Negus signalling the need for "many hundreds of millions more" for repair works.
Meanwhile the Victorian Healthcare Association says more support is needed for rural hospitals.
