Vol. No. Vol. 2118No. 24 27
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Wednesday, January 12, 13, 2018 2016 Wednesday, December
Horsham rocks... Story, pictures, pages 34 and 35
Shannon Noll
Against the tide BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY
R
e-elected Member for Ripon Louise Staley has vowed to hold the Victorian Labor government to account for its pre-election promises during her next four years in opposition.
Ms Staley, the incumbent Liberal member, held her seat by only 15 votes, finishing ahead of Labor challenger Sarah De Santis after a recount of 40,055 formal votes. The Monday announcement by the Victorian Electoral Commission
came more than two weeks after polls closed in the state election and confirmed Ripon’s status as the most marginal electorate in the state. While the election resulted in a landslide loss for the Liberal-Nationals Coalition, Ms Staley’s narrow re-election represented a bright spot for the opposition. She said challenging the Daniel Andrews-led government to deliver for her electorate would be her priority. She said she would push to fulfill the Coalition’s pre-election pledge to return rail services to Stawell and
Horsham, despite Labor not matching the commitment. With doubt surrounding The Overland train service between Melbourne and Adelaide, Ms Staley said it was vital regional residents in Ripon and beyond were not left with inadequate transport options. She called on the government to fund a business case for the return of passenger rail to western Victoria. “We need to see what the best way is, but it can’t be beyond the realms of government – given how much money they are proposing to spend in
Melbourne – to do this business case and ensure that Stawell and Horsham, and ideally Hamilton, have regular passenger services,” she said. “The Overland is better than nothing, but it is not the answer. We need regular services that don’t go via Geelong and take a very long time.” Ms Staley said other Coalition election promises – such as a $4-million upgrade for Ararat’s Marian College and $1.3-million to develop Wedderburn’s Donaldson Park sporting complex – would also be high on her agenda.
“The key thing, particularly with the sporting facility projects, is that they’re all backed by local government,” she said. “The reason I committed to funding them is because I knew there were partnerships in place between the clubs, between the council and between the community that would mean those projects are ready to go. “It’s clear those councils have put together projects where there is community need.” Continued page 3
IN THIS ISSUE • Regional rail issue • Twilight shopping feature • Cricket, basketball winds up for break Phone: 03 5382 1351 Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au
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