Water and transport infrastructure are the big agricultural winners in this year’s State Budget.
The budget provides $468million in new investment in water infrastructure including $20m for Gippsland’s Macalister Irrigation District (MID).
“Dry conditions and extreme weather events are having a seriously detrimental effect on regional communities, across Victoria,” Water Minister, Lisa Neville said. “By investing now to upgrade our water infrastructure, we’ll protect homes, businesses and jobs, in the future.
The MID is the largest irrigation area south of the Great Dividing Range, extending around the Macalister River for 53,000 hectares, from Lake Glenmaggie to near Sale. About 33,500 ha is currently used for irrigation, and of this 90% is under pasture.
Nearly $60m will be spend on irrigation modernisation projects to help irrigators improve on-farm water use and adapt to pressures, associated with drought.
There will be a further $58 million for upgrading of the Wedderburn, Werribee and Bacchus Marsh irrigation districts. Other money will go on improving the health of waterways and catchments and flood mitigation measures.
Market access will be improved with a co-investment $8.5m to be spent on upgrades to state owned rail sidings.
Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford said the upgrade would see an additional 500,000 tones of grain, being transported by rail a year.This was estimated to reduce annual road maintenance costs by about $2.2m. “Farmers have long called for crucial infrastructure to make the process of getting produce from paddock to port quicker – we’re getting it done,” Ms Pulford said.
A further $600,000 has also been set aside for planning for Yarrawonga Weir and Mulwala Bridge replacements and $1.1m for planning for replacement of the Tooleybuc bridge, on the Murray River, at Piangil. The government has announced $130m would be spent on repairs and resurfacing of deteriorating and unsafe roads, while $51.6m has been set aside for new overtaking lanes on the Princes and Midland Highways. Funding has also been set aside for the continuation of the Rural Financial Counselling Service.
The government will spend $5m on maintaining the 35 rural financial counsellors.
