By LUKE VOOGT
WESTERN Victoria Region MP Simon Ramsay has attacked Bellarine MP Lisa Neville for prioritising other funding allocations ahead of CCTV in The Terrace.
So is it another electorate stealing funds which could be better spent in Ocean Grove?
No, Mr Ramsay said, it’s penguins.
“First she’s giving them $250,000 for CCTV at St Kilda and now she’s proudly welcomed $48.2 million on a penguin parade at Philip Island,” he said.
“I’m not sure what Ms Neville’s fascination is with penguins.”
Mr Ramsay slammed the Bellarine MP for these funding announcements, saying she had neglected calls for CCTV in The Terrace.
“I’m sure these tourist attractions are popular, but this is all happening while her electorate’s residents are begging for CCTV funding,” he said.
“I’ve spoken to residents at Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads who are very concerned about safety and crime.”
He said Ms Neville had made no indication of trying to bring CCTV to her electorate through the State Government’s $250,000 Public Safety Infrastructure Fund grants.
“It is absurd that penguins seem to have a greater capacity to find government support than people in those areas,” he said.
Ms Neville announced the upgrade to the penguin parade on 21 April, in her role as State Environment Minister.
She described Mr Ramsay’s comments as demeaning to the people of Ocean Grove and the importance of community safety.
“Mr Ramsay was a member of the Liberal Government who only two years ago closed police stations in Queenscliff, Portarlington and Drysdale, adding enormous extra burden on Ocean Grove police,” she said.
Ms Neville said the Andrews Government had re-opened these stations, added 15 extra police to the region and committed to 400 extra Victorian police in this year’s State Budget.
