- Published:
- Thursday 7 April 2022
State Liberal and National MPs have failed to stand up for Victoria on the fundamental issue of our state getting its fair share from the Federal Budget.
In the Legislative Assembly today, the state Liberal Leader Matthew Guy and his Coalition colleagues voted against a motion supporting Victoria and condemning the Federal Government for abandoning Victoria.
The motion, passed by 50 votes to 23, noted that the federal Liberal-National Government had “again failed to deliver Victorians their fair share in the 2022-23 Budget” and that it “will cut all COVID-19 funding at the end of September, which is $1.5 billion in Victoria alone”.
The Federal Budget revealed that Victoria will get less than 6 per cent of new infrastructure spending – and nothing from the $7.1 billion regional investment fund.
While Victoria gets $208 million for infrastructure, Western Australia gets $1.1 billion and New South Wales $1.3 billion.
The Victorian Parliament’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee last month released a bipartisan report into Commonwealth funding of Victoria this month, which noted “that in 2020-21, Victoria received 18.3 per cent of total Commonwealth infrastructure payments to the states despite its population share of 25.9 per cent, (a gap equal to) $745 million in infrastructure funding”.
Victoria and New South Wales are the only states to have propped up other jurisdictions every year since the federal GST was introduced.
Victoria is also set to lose more than $1 billion a year under the Federal Government's new GST carve up, once the no-worse-off guarantee expires. That means less funding for Victorian schools, hospitals, roads and rail.
Despite this, the state Coalition was missing in action today when its members had their chance to back Victoria and Victorians.
Quotes attributable to Treasurer Tim Pallas
“The Liberal and Nationals had their chance – and failed. The message this sends to all Victorians is the state Coalition just don’t care our home state is losing out to Canberra.”
“A fair share is just that – and we are not getting it.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Martin Foley
“Victorians pay their federal taxes and expect to get their fair share back.”
“Today’s vote shows where Liberal and National MPs stand – on the side of cutting funding to Victorians even after two tough years of a global pandemic.”