Regional Victoria is ideally positioned to help lead the state out of the current economic woes according to the VFF, which is asking for the state and federal governments to enable the thinking and policy needed to support growth.VFF president David Jochinke said despite the challenges agriculture and the regions continued to face, regional Victoria had the opportunity to lead the state's economic recovery as COVID-19 restrictions eased.“As farmers, we're still awaiting the Agriculture Workers’ Code to be implemented and have very real concerns of the impact on our livestock industry in the midst of restrictions placed on our meat processing facilities,” he said.
“We do, however, have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to revive regional Victoria and help lead the state from its economic woes.“Of course, our health must always remain our top priority and we need to ensure we continue practising COVID-safe measures, but we also need to look forward to the future.”
The VFF is calling for a change in government thinking and policy to enable the regions to be a vehicle for economic growth and genuine investment in critical infrastructure.
“Regional Victoria is in a much more advanced stage of COVID recovery than Melbourne,” Mr Jochinke said.
“Now is the opportunity for governments to invest in the regions to help power Victoria's economic recovery.
“There's an undeniable city and country divide in infrastructure and services such as roads, rail, telecommunications, health and education.
“If can we can get commitment from government to deliver a standard for all Victorians, the livability of the regions will attract community and economic growth.
“Our message to the Victorian and federal governments is the regions can't wait for Melbourne to catch up.
“The time to entice growth in the regions and help us recover is now.”
