The combination of current drought conditions and skyrocketing fodder costs is pushing many horse owners — and the horses they care for — to crisis point.
In 2025 alone, PHHWV has seen a 50 per cent increase in reports and the number of horses requiring support. These figures reflect a genuine and growing need for coordinated action.
RSPCA Victoria chief executive Liz Walker said unless it received more funding from the state government, the organisation “will likely need to restrict the species of animal we investigate, rehabilitate and re-home, removing horses, poultry, and livestock from our scope of work”. (The Guardian, May 16.)
Unlike other animals, horses often fall outside council bylaws and are frequently not within the jurisdiction of Agriculture Victoria.
This leaves a dangerous gap in oversight and response.
If horses are removed from the RSPCA’s scope, that would increase pressure on the already struggling welfare organisations such as Project Hope.
We call on the Victorian Government to:
- Increase funding to RSPCA Victoria to match the scale of the current welfare crisis.
- Review and expand council powers under the current Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (POCTA) Act.
- Provide clear and consistent guidelines for the role of Agriculture Victoria in horse welfare.
- Deliver targeted funding to equine welfare organisations, like ours, that support and relieve the workload of the RSPCA.
Horse welfare is a shared responsibility. We need a whole-of-system response before more horses fall through the cracks.
Cassandra Male,
Project Hope Horse Welfare Victoria
We will scrap the tax
The Nationals have a simple message for hardworking regional Victorians: “We will scrap the tax”.
Families, homeowners, business owners, renters and farmers will be impacted by Labor’s $3 billion emergency services tax — its 60th new or increased tax.
It is a cruel tax amid a cost-of-living crisis and drought.
If the Nationals and Liberals are elected to government, the tax will be consigned to history — where it belongs.
This tax punishes farmers with increases of 150 per cent and it doesn’t just affect those involved in agriculture — it affects all of us.
Regional Victorians deserve relief, not another hit to their hip pocket. Thousands of protesters on the steps of parliament highlighted the level of despair.
Labor can’t manage money and regional Victorians are paying the price.
To join us in the fight go to: www.scrapthetax.com.au
Danny O’Brien,
Victorian Nationals leader
Bleak budget for our region
The Victorian State Budget for 2025-26 was released, and sadly after some initial looks, it is not great news for our region.
Many of the projects we had been advocating for remain without funding, including upgrades to our sporting facilities in areas like Seymour and Violet Town, upgrades to CFA brigades, and the need for more train services along the North-East line.
We have also seen huge cuts to our already pathetic roads budget, and a lack of childcare and housing investment locally once again.
On top of that, the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund is front and centre as an additional cost all of us will have to pay.
To put it simply, this is a budget that completely fails regional Victoria.
Agriculture funding has been cut by $77.6 million — almost 13 per cent — amid a crippling drought in many areas of the state.
Regional development funding has also taken a hit a 17 per cent hit — with Labor slashing it from $296.7 million to $245.6 million.
Once again this is a government that fails to recognise the value of its regional communities — including those who put food on the table.
Despite all of the increased taxes, ignored projects, and cuts to services — Victoria's debt is still set to blow out to $194 billion by 2028-29.
That will be $28.9 million in interest every single day paid by all Victorians — or $10 billion every year.
I look forward to speaking with many of our local organisations about their funding futures following this budget — and hope they are receiving all the help they need to keep serving our communities.
So to our local community groups — please reach out and keep me posted about how this budget has impacted you.
Annabelle Cleeland,
State Member for Euroa
4°C