LABOR IS POISONING THE HAND THAT FEEDS THEM
The Labor Government’s consideration to dump toxic soil in Bacchus Marsh is emblematic of their general conduct towards Western Victoria.
The regions on one side of the West Gate which feed those on the other, have been completely neglected and utterly mistreated by a government infiltrated by and beholden to anti-agriculture ideologues.
Bacchus Marsh, like many areas in Western Victoria, is a food bowl of the state.
The farmland between Bacchus Marsh and Werribee grows 83% of Victoria’s cauliflower, 53% of Victoria’s broccoli and 34% of Victoria’s lettuce.
Dumping toxic soil in their backyard will risk compromising the quality of this agricultural produce through contamination.
This proposal, calling for mandatory CCTV cameras on farms, deteriorating rural road and rail infrastructure, and lack of bushfire preparedness, should not be viewed as circumstances in isolation.
They are a part of a wider abandonment of anything, anyone and anywhere beyond the tram tracks of Melbourne.
Under the Andrews Labor Government, there are two Victorias.
There is the Victoria of metropolitan Melbourne and the major regional cities, like Geelong and Ballarat, which provide the Government with electoral significance and are rewarded with enormous spending commitments.
Then there is the Victoria of the smaller rural and urban fringe towns, like Bacchus Marsh, which are largely disadvantaged economically, in infrastructure and in education.
Now, not only does this Government ignore the concerns of these communities, but they are determined to force them to deal with the consequences of their mismanagement and bad governance, having been warned of the presence of toxic soil by the EPA in 2017.
It’s time to dump Labor, not toxic soil.
Beverley McArthur MP
Member for Western Victoria Region
13 March 2020