I am so proud to have been appointed the Parliamentary Secretary for Rural and Regional Development by the Premier today.

I’m so pleased to see this role reinstated because there has never been a more important time to stand up for rural and regional Victoria.

Our country communities deserve investment, opportunity, and a government that is on their side.

But right now, we’re seeing political parties trying to divide our communities and spread misinformation.

So let’s look at the facts.

It was the Liberal Party that closed the Mildura line, the Leongatha line, the Maryborough line, and the Ararat line.

It was the Liberal Party that cut funding to our hospitals and closed our schools.

And we’ve already heard the Liberals will have more cuts on the way under a Liberal-One Nation Coalition.

We know what happens in the regions when the Liberals are in government, because we’ve seen it before.

Our record is very different.

Labor has upgraded hospitals in Ballarat, Ararat, Geelong, Wonthaggi, Portland, Maryborough, and more.

We’ve upgraded thousands of schools.

We’ve invested in new netball courts, footy oval upgrades, and pavilions.

And we’ve built brand-new childcare centres in Clunes, Wedderburn, Shepparton, Bendigo, and beyond.

Is the job done? Of course not.

There is still more to do, and I know there are still challenges facing rural and regional communities.

But I’ll keep fighting every single day for the regions.