Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed has called on the Coalition, the Greens and micro parties in the Upper House to oppose the Port of Melbourne privatisation.

Ms Sheed urged the Coalition and cross benchers to oppose the legislation unless there is a watertight commitment from the Andrews Labor government that an equitable proportion of the sale proceeds will be directed to major regional Victorian infrastructure projects.

“It is important that both the Liberal Party and the National Party, both of which hold seats in regional Victoria, stand up for their constituents and demand a better deal from the government,” Ms Sheed said.

“The National Party in particular have criticised the government for failing to deliver in the state budget. It can now take steps to redress the balance.

“And the Greens and the micro parties hold the balance of power in the Upper House. They can achieve some equity for regional Victoria by joining forces on this issue and I urge them to do so.

Ms Sheed said rural and regional Victoria would not get a fair share of the port privatisation revenue.

“At this stage all indications are that the proceeds of sale will be directed to fund major infrastructure developments in Melbourne, predominantly financing the government’s election promise to remove 50 level crossings,” she said.

“It is simply not good enough that the regional communities who produce the food and fibre exports that the port was built on and still relies on today will receive no benefit whatsoever from the sale.

“Similarly if we are to achieve growth in the export of agriculture, horticulture and dairy products to Asia then the volume of containers sent through the Port of Melbourne will increase.

“Given the massive rental increases currently proposed at the port which will inevitably increase charges it is important that some benefit flow back to the primary producer in regional Victoria.”

Ardmona orchardist Peter Hall said he supported commercially beneficial private ownership of the port but that regional and rural communities should benefit.

“It’s not equitable to take the value that has been built up through the risk and investment in agricultural products through the decades and spend it on removing level crossings that trucks carrying agricultural produce will never use,” he said.

“Our trucks will go down the Hume, pay tolls on CityLink and never see a boom gate.”

Mr Hall said no responsible member of parliament should support the port’s privatization under the current plan.

“Taking value that has been derived from one sectors investment and patronage, then spending it on a totally unrelated political promise is flawed in principle and deserves no responsible members support,” he said.

“Rural Victoria has paid for the port, surely we should benefit from its privatisation particularly if we are going to be slugged inflated charges to prop up an election promise.”

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3 June 2015

MORE than 100 Shepparton District residents will converge on the steps of Parliament House tomorrow to demand better rail services to and from their city.

Doctors, professors, students, industry executives, multicultural leaders, politicians and local councillors fed up with the current service will travel to Melbourne on the 6.31am V/Line service.

They are calling on the Andrews Labor Government to change the Shepparton rail timetable immediately and invest in more services to better reflect the times people want and need to travel

“For too long the Shepparton line has suffered from underinvestment while we have watched Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong and Traralgon enjoy the benefits of more than 20 services a day,” Ms Sheed said.

“Our wider catchment is equal to Bendigo’s so why are we being left behind when it comes to rail investment?

“We can’t even claim to have half the services these other regional cities enjoy.”

Ms Sheed said an improved service was vital for regional growth and would open up opportunities for business, industry, recreation and education and deliver spin off benefits for the visitor economy.

“Since we launched this campaign a month ago I have heard from so many people in our community who desperately want improved rail services,” she said.

“From the parents who rely on the service to take their children to vital appointments at the Royal Children’s Hospital to the students wanting to study in Melbourne but live in Shepparton, there are many compelling reasons to improve rail services and ensure our residents aren’t further disadvantaged.”

All Aboard Shepparton, an initiative of Greater Shepparton City Council, SheppartonRAILS group, the Committee for Greater Shepparton and Ms Sheed are also calling on the government to:

•              Invest in infrastructure at Murchison to enable trains to safely pass. •              Invest in stabling and security works at Shepparton Station to allow for the dewatering of trains. •              Employ a Protective Services Officer at Seymour Station.

All Aboard Shepparton has seen what investment in rail infrastructure has meant for Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong and Traralgon and want a feasibility study to consider:

•              A VLocity train with three carriages •              Rail track upgrades (improve from 90km to 160km standard) •              Level crossing upgrades •              Increase future train services in line with demand and population growth of the Goulburn Valley.

Ms Sheed will press the Minister for Public Transport on a timeline for improvements to the Shepparton Passenger Rail Service during question time tomorrow.

Media Call Where: Steps of Parliament of Victoria. When: 10am, Thursday.

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27 May 2015

Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed has welcomed GrainCorp Oils $50 million investment in its operation at Numurkah.

The investment will increase oilseed crushing capacity and efficiency at the plant, which Ms Sheed visited late last month.

She said GrainCorp Oils investment was another vote of confidence in the region.

“This $50 million investment is a further boost of confidence in the Numurkah region, on top of the $125 million investment made by GrainCorp Oils across Australia last year,” Ms Sheed said.

“It demonstrates that the Goulburn Valley remains an attractive place to invest and continues to be a highly productive region, with diverse businesses opportunities and a strong future.”

The latest GrainCorp Oils investment will involve installation of additional state-of-the-art technology to deliver a substantially higher oil yield than the current extraction process.

The investment will increase the crush capacity at Numurkah by 40%, to 1,000 tonnes per day and will increase the competitiveness of locally grown and crushed product versus imported oils.  
It also offers the capability to expand to 1,400 tonnes per day, should demand continue to grow.

“This is good news for all local grain growers, with increased demand for grain likely,” Ms Sheed said.
The expanded plant will also be able to produce canola meal tailored for the local poultry and dairy industries.

The $50 million investment will deliver ongoing benefits to the regional economy, through a number of construction jobs, in addition to ongoing indirect benefits for the regional Victorian economy through the facility’s expanded production.  

“The flow-on effects from this project will be felt throughout the community for many years,” Ms Sheed said.

“It will contribute to the prosperity of local business, communities and the broader economy.

“I congratulate GrainCorp Oils for their continued commitment to this region and look forward to their continued success.”

20 May 2015

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Independent Member for Shepparton District Suzanna Sheed has pushed the Andrews Labor Government to provide clarity about its regional roads and bridges funding.

In parliament on Tuesday Ms Sheed asked the Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan to detail how and where the $1 billion promised for regional roads and bridges will be spent.

“Local councils across regional Victoria, including Greater Shepparton City Council and Moira Shire Council in my electorate, have expressed great concern about access to vital ongoing funding for repairs to roads and bridges,” she said.

“Can the Minister urgently provide details as to how and when the $1 billion promised for roads and bridges before the last election will be provided to regional Victoria? 
“Further, can he guarantee his government will at least match the previous government’s promise of $160 million for country roads and bridges?”

The Country Roads and Bridges Program ran for four years between 2010 and 2014, providing up to $1 million each per year to 40 councils.

“That funding was vital to local governments in rural and regional areas,” Ms Sheed said.

“It allowed them to employ local staff to repair the roads and bridges that they saw as the biggest priority, and reduced the pressure on their already tight budgets.

“With the introduction of rate capping from 2016-17 a commitment to this funding is especially important.”

Labor has so far announced $36 million for bridge repairs and $50 million for level crossings in rural and regional areas.

And the budget revealed $86.7 million to resurface unsafe, deteriorating road surfaces around the state.

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7 May 2015