By Mitchell Clarke
The town of Drouin will be without a 24 hour police service after the 2020/21 Victorian Budget “missed the opportunity” to deliver critical community safety infrastructure.
Liberal Narracan MP Gary Blackwood said the Budget’s “failings” would be felt for generations in the West Gippsland region, after vital projects missed out on funding.
Those projects include intersection upgrades along the Princes Highway, a Drouin town bypass, a new 24/7 Drouin police station and a new West Gippsland Hospital.
“These are critical projects, critical programs and critical building blocks for our future and they have again been left off the agenda,” Mr Blackwood said.
“We were told this State Budget would contain generational change and investment for all Victorians, and while there are major projects, they are again, as we have seen in the past, centred in the metropolitan and inner Western region of our state, not here in Gippsland.”
Speaking from State Parliament, Mr Blackwood said funding was needed to modernise and rebuild the Drouin police station.
“This is a critical investment in the Drouin community and still Daniel Andrews and (treasurer) Tim Pallas have refused to deliver what was needed to support local residents,” he said.
“Officers continue to work in cramped conditions, doing the best for the community with the resources this government has provided them. More needs to be done by the Andrews Labor Government to support their efforts and protect our community.”
Shadow Police and Community Safety Minister David Southwick said: “As Victorians move out of lockdown, we need a clear plan to get police back on the streets and PSOs back onto stations to keep local communities safe.”
“With violent offending up and community confidence in our police at decade lows – Victorians deserve better than this budget delivers,” he added.
