The Nationals’ Member for Mildura, Jade Benham, says successful funding applications will see vital staff retention accommodation built across her electorate.
Ms Benham says that will enable Rural Northwest Health to hang onto a key staff member at its Hopetoun hospital site.
And at the same time she says the funding will also help develop worker accommodation in key agricultural production areas such as Irymple and in smaller regional towns across Buloke Shire where available and affordable rentals are few and far between.
“I congratulate Rural Northwest Health, Buloke Shire and MCBG Karadoc on their efforts to secure this funding, it is great news and a great start for the region,” Ms Benham says.
“But it is also just a small first step and an indication how urgent and widespread demand for this type of accommodation is in the northwest,” she says.
“I have been pushing hard for the past two years for the Allan Labor government to recognise its failings in this area – particularly after the collapse of its Affordability Partnership, which just 12 months ago promised 800,000 new homes across Victoria in the next decade at the rate of 80,000 homes a year.
“And it hasn’t delivered even a fraction of that target.”
Ms Benham says she is excited for all the communities which will be helped, and especially for Hopetoun and the essential role RNH plays in that town with its aged care services.
She says the $1.25 million it received brings the re-opening of its urgent care service closer.
“With that funding and $750,000 of its own money, RNH will build two, three-bedroom duplexes between Phillips St and Roberts Lane to attract, and keep, key staff including nurses.
“RNH chief executive Jenni Masters says worker retention has long been a challenge for all rural health services.
“Jenni says these duplexes will give her teams secure, ongoing accommodation for their families, which they hope will lead into the families integrating into the Hopetoun community and settling in the region.”
Ms Benham says regional Victoria is still not getting its 25 per cent share of Victorian infrastructure spending even though it now represents about 26 per cent of the state’s population.
And adds cases such as Hopetoun are glaring examples of why we need that money and need it now.
“The Allan Labor government and its CFMEU allies are doing their best to bankrupt the state, but we are nowhere near that, the real problem is where the money is being spent and the way the system is being rorted,” Ms Benham added.
“Instead of pouring billions of taxpayer dollars into the pockets of its union masters, Jacinta Allan and her government should be doing their job and investing in the people of Victoria – and especially giving regional Victorians their fair share,” she says.
