Further funding allocations towards upgrades to Barwon Heads Road and an extra $500 to $525 million towards the Barwon Women’s and Children’s Hospital have joined an extensive list of budget investments in the 2022/23 State Budget.
The State Government released its 2022/23 State Budget on Tuesday, May 3, which also included:
* $1.6 billion for new schools, increasing capacity at schools, school upgrades and maintenance;
* $900,000 to $1 billion for the new Melton Hospital, which will provide 24-hour emergency services and a range of clinical supports; and
* $250 million for 12 new VLocity trains to provide more reliable and more frequent daily public transport services for growing regional cities.
Under the 2022/23 budget, the government has allocated a further $111,967,000 towards existing upgrades to Barwon Heads Road, which has an estimated completion date during the second quarter of the 2023-24 financial year.
The government has also allocated an additional $226.7 million will go towards high-priority road and intersection upgrade projects, including $3.3 million towards upgrades to the Bellarine Highway intersection with Moolap Station Road in Moolap and $5.29 million for a new roundabout at the intersection of Blackrock Road and Staceys Road in Barwon Heads.
The government has also invested a further $1 million of funding towards the ongoing restoration works of the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse Reserve and $1 million towards upgrades to the Leopold Tennis Club, which will include redeveloped clubrooms, new toilets, new kitchens and new change rooms.
Continued funding for the Westgate Punt and Portarlington to Docklands Ferry would provide another alternative to travelling by car.
Bellarine MP Lisa Neville said the funding for the Bellarine Peninsula was welcome news.
“This is another great budget for the Bellarine and continues on with the state government’s work in providing the first class facilities and services that families across the peninsula deserve,” she said.
Roads and Road Safety Minister Ben Carroll said the upgrade projects would ensure regional Victorians got home safely.
“Every Victorian wants to spend less time stuck in traffic and more time with friends and family doing the things they enjoy,” he said.
“We want everyone to get home safely, so we’ll keep investing in the things we know save lives on our roads.”
The Barwon Women’s and Children Hospital would feature new paediatric and maternity capacity, operating theatres, special care and women’s outpatient services.
The state government had previously committed $100 million to building the women’s and children’s hospital prior to the 2018 election, while the federal government committed $50 million in 2019.
Of that, $3.6 million had already been allocated to planning and design, with the Victorian Health Building Authority and Barwon Health working to ensure the facility met the community’s needs.
The two stage project would see upgrades to existing facilities at Barwon Health to provide short-term services and co-locate a number of ambulatory women’s and children’s services.
Under the second stage, the project would involve the building and integration of a new purpose-built comprehensive women’s and children’s facility into the existing Geelong University Hospital.
South Barwon MP Darren Cheeseman said the expanded project would ensure Barwon Health could support more mothers, babies and children to receive the best care close to home.
“This budget looks out for the health of every single Victorian,” he said.
“By fully funding stage one and two of the Barwon Women’s and Children’s Hospital redevelopment we’re investing in the world-class care people in the Geelong region deserve.”
Mr Cheeseman said the budget would also deliver improved cancer care for patients in Geelong with a new radiotherapy linear accelerator for Barwon Health via an $11 million commitment.
The budget also included $2.6 billion of investment towards regional Victoria to help deliver the Commonwealth Games in 2026 and a further $111 million to boost tourism and support events.
The funding would contribute to four regional athlete hubs, which will be established in Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland.
Details: www.budget.vic.gov.au
