Labor should listen

Nine in 10 farmers say they feel ignored and disrespected by the Allan Labor Government.

That frustration was on full display when farmers and other regional Victorians rolled into Ballarat with their tractors, trucks and united voices – calling on Labor to listen.

It’s little wonder farmers and regional Victorians feel betrayed.

Labor has silenced regional voices by fast-tracking renewable projects without proper consultation, stripped away the right to appeal government decisions and now threaten hardworking farmers with massive fines for protecting their own private land.

This is another kick in the guts, just as Labor’s emergency services tax is landing in mailboxes.

Labor’s 63rd new or increased tax comes at a time when household budgets are at breaking point.

Regional Victorians deserve better and the Nationals will stand up for you.

Our plan is clear:

* Lower cost of living by scrapping five Labor taxes – including the emergency services tax

* Restore regional voices on renewable energy projects

* Protect homes with a 2km buffer from wind turbines

* Defend land rights by repealing Labor’s land access laws

Danny O’Brien, Leader of The Nationals

Kids miss out on vital health programs

With Victoria's health outcomes lagging behind in regional areas, I have called on the state government to extend the Smile Squad dental program and the Glasses for Kids vision program to Catholic and independent schools in regional Victoria.

The exclusion of many regional schools from these programs is widening the health divide.

Many of our region’s Catholic and independent schools are not elite Melbourne private schools but are low-cost schools in towns like Seymour, Nagambie, and Euroa, where large numbers of students are considered disadvantaged by the Department of Education’s own measures.

Yet these children are missing out on basic programs that deliver free dental and eye health support.

That is not good enough - every child deserves equal access to these essential services, no matter what school they attend or where they live.

I recently met with Optometry Australia CEO Skye Cappuccio and senior representatives to discuss that organisation’s Myopia Awareness campaign and the importance of early intervention in children’s eye health.

Short-sightedness usually begins in childhood and can progress to increase the risk of serious conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, and retinal detachment.

It is projected that by 2050, myopia will affect half the world’s population, including 20 million Australians.

Extending programs like Glasses for Kids and Smile Squad to all schools is a simple way to reduce the gap between regional and metropolitan health outcomes.

Annabelle Cleeland, Member for Euroa

When no one was looking

The Frost Street 883 group recently met with Inland Rail with council representatives in attendance to discuss the vital, scoped, and funded piece of infrastructure that vanished when no one was looking, faster than a cream sponge at a street stall out the front of Burtons, and all without a single word of community consultation.

We presented evidence that both Inland Rail and Council have failed to meet their own community engagement standards.

Much of Inland Rail’s website content is outdated of how it engages with the Euroa community, and the rationale for decommissioning the underpass, citing maintenance costs and tree impact, remains unsubstantiated.

If the underpass is safe enough to be temporary for 6–12 months, why not retain it permanently, especially in times demanding productivity and projects that make sense practically and financially?

Council has altered a federally funded project outside its authority.

We reject the notion that the deal is 'done'.

Nothing is ever undoable, especially when a community asset was removed with the stroke of a pen.

Our group advocates for the people of Euroa, and while others rightly and necessarily focus on business or natural assets and amenity, we centre on safety, accessibility, and legacy.

Telling residents to 'just walk a few hundred metres' to other precinct underpasses ignores the needs of older residents, those with mobility challenges, and families.

The fact is the Frost Street underpass serves a different purpose than the rail precinct, as it has for 60 years, and nothing’s changed in its need or purpose to the community.

We remain committed to facts and process.

Visit our Facebook page for updates and FAQs, or collect hard copies of our Community Update #2, survey results, and FAQs from Williams Garage.

We thank the 142 residents who responded to our survey in just six days an outstanding show of engagement.

We are preparing for meetings with Helen Haines MP and Senator Bridget McKenzie, and remain in contact with Minister Catherine King.

This is about transparency, inclusion, and legacy.

The Frost Street Underpass is more than concrete; it’s a symbol of community connection.

We will not let it be erased without accountability.

Vanessa Williams, Katie Williams, Neil Brown, and Coll Furlanetto

A Roo by the side of the road

A drive through the picturesque country

puts my mind in tranquility mode,

but a sight that is sure to alarm me

is a roo by the side of the road.

No matter how safely I'm driving

and keeping the rules of the code,

there's nothing that makes me so anxious

as a roo by the side of the road.

It gives me a start, and I tremble:

fear's seed in my heart has been sowed.

Oh, what shall I do

that I not hit the roo

that is there by the side of the road?

Will it stay where it is?

Will it scarper?

(my nerves are about to explode):

I give it a glance;

will it flee or advance,

that roo by the side of the road?

Will it have the good sense to avoid me,

or like some, whose bodies are strowed

here and there, not being so prudent,

face death by the side of the road?

Whenever you're out and about, friend,

having ventured forth from your abode,

stay alert, ever watchful and mindful

of roos by the side of the road.

Craig Penny, Terip Terip