Speaker, it may disappoint you to learn that there is a little grumbling about the Albanese Labor Government in Mallee not least of which from some of its mayors.

Shocking, I know, but it’s true.

The Labor Government recently announced the successful recipients of the Housing Support Program and guess how much support Mallee got? None.  Not a cracker.  Yarriambiack Shire Mayor Kylie Zanker was gutted, telling the local media:

“As a Mayor to say our council is disappointed is an understatement. We work restlessly on funding applications and to miss out again is just heartbreaking. We submit quality applications investing time and money on consultants to assist to ensure our applications are of the highest standard and to be unsuccessful is devastating. Four quality projects across Yarriambiack and not one funded. Our communities deserve so much more than the ‘zero’ that is being delivered.”

I have to underline that money invested in applications. I have 12 shires in my Mallee electorate where many metropolitan electorates have just 1 or 2 councils.  Our councils have very low rate bases. They make a judgement call to invest in the resources to make an application, and a key factor in that decision is how critical it is for their residents.  Yarriambiack Shire made four housing applications and got zip, zilch, nada.

It may horrify you to hear Speaker that comparing the preceding 3 years under a Coalition government to this 3 years of the Albanese Labor Government, the difference in federal spending into the electorate is of a factor of 20 to 1! $20 Coalition dollars spent to $1 under Labor.  It’s appalling.

So much so that the Mildura Rural City Council in my home town also hit out about missing out again under Labor’s Growing Regions Program.  If we get the chance, Speaker, I might take you out to the Mildura Sporting Precinct for a kick of the footy or perhaps to shoot hoops, where the Coalition put $17.5 million - $17.5  million – dollars into the Mildura region in that project alone from the Building Better Regions Program.  Under Labor’s replacement Growing Regions program, you want to guess what they’ve had under Labor?  Diddly squat.

New Mayor Helen Healy told Wade Stephens of the Sunraysia Daily newspaper:

"The application we submitted would have realised a whole host of major additional improvements to our riverfront precinct, and is certainly in line with the purpose of this program, so we’re not only disappointed, but a little surprised"

Chief executive Martin Hawson added:

"We’d also committed to a significant level of matching funding as part of our application, as this project would have provided numerous benefits for our community, particularly families. While this is obviously a setback, we’re still committed to these improvements and will look at how much we can do with Council funding."

Speaker, this is the can-do, regional spirit at work.  We crack on getting the job done but to say the Mallee electorate is looking longingly to a return of a Coalition government would be an understatement.