By Callum Ludwig
The Victorian Government has promised it will deliver on all of its 2022 election promises in this year’s State Budget.
Labor candidates did not win in Eildon or Evelyn but four promises had been made for community groups in the electorates.
In Eildon, $55,000 was pledged to support the YAVA Gallery and Arts Hub, $50,000 to support the projects of Yarra Valley ECOSS and $60,000 to support the Healesville Core.
In Evelyn, $5 million was allocated for an upgraded pavilion including female-friendly changerooms at the Seville Recreation Reserve.
Confirmation that the Seville Recreation Reserve was announced by Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing.
“Seville’s Cricket, Football and Netball Clubs are such a massive part of their community. Our investment to upgrade the Seville Recreation Reserve will be a boon for Seville’s local sports clubs and for the local community,” Ms Shing said in a media release.
A Victorian Government spokesperson said every single one of Labor’s election commitments for the development of community sport infrastructure have been funded in this Budget.
“More than $200 million has been announced in the recent Victorian Budget 2023/24 to deliver new and improved community sport and active recreation infrastructure across the state.”
In Eildon, which is covered by the Northern Victoria region in the Upper House, uncertainty remains about the funding announced.
Executive Officer at Yarra Valley ECOSS Chelsea McNab said she had contacted Eildon’s Labor candidate for Eildon Jane Judd to try and find out about their funding.
“She put us through to her email correspondents and they couldn’t help and so we contacted several different areas in the Labor Party who said it would take between eight to ten weeks to get a response, and it’s been about that time,” she said.
“We’re at a bit of a loss now on what to do, we keep reaching a dead end, so we’re hoping that we get the money because it was in a media release and we’d begun to factor in that it was real.”
Jane Judd was only announced as a candidate mere weeks out from the election date and announced the funding for Yarra Valley ECOSS in person on 18 November 2022.
Ms McNab said she would like to hope all organisations who were promised money get it, especially not-for-profits.
“We rely mainly on project grants and we had lots of ideas, and it would’ve been something that would enable us to invest in either growing our social enterprise here or be something that would financially underpin our future activities,” she said.
“It would be a big downer on morale not to receive it, and would have a big impact because $50,000 is very hard to come by.”
