Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, discusses the soon to be upgraded Forge Creek and Paynesville Road intersection with Sergeant Dwayne Morrison, of Bairnsdale Highway Patrol.

Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, today announced that works will start this month on $2.43 million of road safety improvements by the Victorian Coalition Government on the Paynesville Road intersection with Forge Creek Road at Eagle Point.

Mr Bull said that works will soon be underway to build a roundabout at the busy intersection which is used by both local and tourist traffic.

“This intersection had a history of crashes with seven crashes in a recent five year period, in which ten people were seriously hurt and two people suffered minor injuries.

“It is a particularly expensive job as Forge Creek Road also needs to be significantly realigned due to it not currently being a ‘straight through intersection’.

“The community can rest assured we have listened to their concerns and will soon deliver a much safer intersection. The community has been vocal in its support for a roundabout.

“Implementing a roundabout will slow vehicles down and force drivers to pause and look for oncoming traffic, creating a much more controlled environment.

“In its current form this intersection can be a bit confusing for some drivers, where the staggered intersection of Forge Creek Road meets Paynesville Road,” Mr Bull said.

Motorists are reminded to plan ahead as minor traffic delays are expected and temporary reduced speed limits will be in place near the work site for the safety of road workers and drivers.

“We’ve had successive, record low road tolls in Victoria and we need to keep working hard to ensure that we stay a world leader in road safety,” said Mr Bull, who added that works would halt over Christmas so as not to impact on the peak holiday season traffic.

Assistant Treasurer, Gordon Rich-Phillips, said that the Safer Road Infrastructure Program is funded by the Transport Accident Commission (TAC), while VicRoads manages the program.

“The Coalition Government has committed a record $1 billion to Safer Road Infrastructure Program over ten years to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads, with more than $199 million committed so far during 2014 on 188 safety improvement projects across Victoria.

“This important and targeted program is helping us build on the road safety gains of recent years, which has led to successive, record low death tolls, while continuing our focus on reducing serious injuries,” Mr Rich-Phillips said.

Construction of the new roundabout will start in early November 2014 and is expected to be completed by the end of March 2015.

Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, pictured with Wellington Shire Councillor, Cr Scott Rossetti, and members of the Maffra and District Landcare network (Carmen Lee, Darren Williams, Tom Wallace and Beth Ripper), discussing one of the groups many projects.

Community groups in Wellington Shire have been acknowledged by the Victorian Coalition Government, with the latest round of Victorian Landcare Grants announced.

Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, said Maffra and District Landcare will receive $32,000 which will enable it to continue to “wage war against priority weeds” through best practice demonstrations and reinvigorate four local Landcare sub groups by supporting their projects of importance.

“Dargo Landcare will also receive $9,945 for activities which include weed control on public land, an educational program and maintenance funding for the group.”

Mr Bull said with $2.1 million available, these grants were one of the ways the Government was supporting practical action at a local level.

“The Victorian Landcare grants support local community groups by providing grants to complete on-ground works to conserve and enhance their local environment.

“In Gippsland East, over $196,000 has been allocated to target environmental projects that maintain and support our native plants and animals and support local Landcare groups.

“It is great to see local environmental groups and community organisations receiving grants to fund environmental projects close to home.

“To strengthen and support the Landcare movement in the region, we will also provide groups access to a share of $24,000 in maintenance/start up grants to ensure a strong Landcare base and enable volunteers to focus on their hands-on environment role, Mr Bull said.”

Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Ryan Smith, said the Victorian Coalition Government’s Victorian Landcare program highlights the partnerships between government, community and environmental groups.

“Our environment will benefit from the Victorian Landcare Grants program, which has a strong focus on providing local community groups with the support they need to deliver environmental benefits at a local level,” Mr Smith said.

“These grants are another example of the Napthine Government’s ability to deliver real and tangible support to local communities, while contributing to their local environment.

For more information on these grants, visit www.wgcma.vic.gov.au

There was a large turnout of the Buchan community as Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, officially opened the new joint CFA and SES facility.

Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, has today officially opened a new $1.61 million co-located CFA fire station and SES station at Buchan in East Gippsland.

Mr Bull said the $1.61 million facility would increase the capacity of SES and CFA to protect the community.

“The new facility forms part of the Coalition Government’s $125 million commitment to build or upgrade 250 CFA stations across the state, and with more than 245 stations now complete, we are well on track to deliver our commitment by the end of this month,” Mr Bull said.

“A new emergency services hub will enhance the collaboration and coordination between the SES and CFA during emergencies and bolster community protection for our region.

”It will provide CFA and SES members with modern facilities and the latest specialist equipment and resources, and ensure a higher level of protection to volunteers who perform a critical role responding to fires and other emergencies.

“The Coalition Government is proud to support CFA and SES members by providing them with the facilities and equipment they need to save lives and protect property, Mr Bull said.”

The $1.61 million facility includes two double-bay truck rooms housing SES vehicles on one side and CFA vehicles on the other. Shared facilities include a communications room, a kitchen, meeting rooms and new amenities.

“This is a significant investment which will provide an excellent service to the community of Buchan and surrounds for many years to come.”

Buchan SES currently has 32 members, with the unit attending on average 50 incidents a year, while Buchan CFA has 25 members, who attend about 25 incidents each year and also provide support across Victoria and Interstate as needed.  

Mr Bull said construction of the CFA/ SES facility replaces two separate facilities, and allows the SES and CFA to provide an all-hazards response right from the centre of Buchan.

“The improved facilities will streamline and enhance the already-strong relationship between both emergency services and strengthen their relationships with the community,” Mr Bull said.

Mr Bull said emergency services volunteers are the backbone of Victoria’s emergency response.

“This financial year the CFA Budget is $457 million, $58 million more than when Labor left office in 2010. The 2014-15 SES Budget is more than $50 million,” Mr Bull said.

“Only a Coalition Government will ensure our emergency services are equipped with the tools and resources they need to keep Victorians safe.”

Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, pictured with members of the Gelantipy CFA at the official opening of the new $600,000 Gelantipy CFA Station.

A new $600,000 CFA station has today been officially opened at Gelantipy, boosting emergency response capabilities for East Gippsland.

Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, said the station upgrade would provide enhanced facilities for brigade members and increase community protection.

“The Napthine Government is building a better and safer Victoria to ensure Gelantipy is better protected from the threat of fires and other emergencies,” Mr Bull said.

“The station forms part of the Coalition Government’s $125 million commitment to build or upgrade 250 CFA stations across the state, and with more than 245 stations now complete, we are well on track to deliver our commitment by the end of this month.”

Mr Bull said the $600,000 Gelantipy upgrade was a significant investment that would strengthen the emergency response capabilities for the region.

“CFA stations are the heart of regional communities and I am delighted that the Coalition Government has delivered on its commitment to build a new station in our local area,” Mr Bull said.

“New facilities will ensure a higher level of protection to more than 35 volunteers who perform a critical role responding to fires and other emergencies.”

Mr Bull said the Gelantipy brigade has been serving the local community for more than 60 years.

“The investment will provide our hardworking firefighters with the latest specialist equipment and resources to ensure Gelantipy is a safer place,” Mr Bull said.

Mr Bull said the Coalition Government has a proven and strong commitment to supporting the CFA and its firefighters who play a critical role in Victoria’s emergency response.

“This financial year the CFA Budget is $457 million, $58 million more than it was when Labor left office,” Mr Bull said.

“In addition to millions of dollars of station upgrades, we have also invested more than $108 million to purchase 275 CFA trucks.

“The Coalition Government’s significant investments in Victoria’s fire services and the broad suite of emergency management reforms that have been introduced over the past four years has helped to ensure Victoria is now better protected.”

Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, met with members of the Orbost District Community Development Group (Rhonda Smith, Rene Sundermann, Garry Squires and Stan Weatherall) and East Gippsland Shire Mayor, Cr Mark Reeves, to announce $50,000 in State funds for a project to support fire affected communities.

The Victorian Coalition Government is helping fire-impacted communities in East Gippsland, with an investment of $50,000 for a business capacity building project to support the region’s recovery, growth and sustainability, Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, announced today.

Mr Bull said the funding would be provided through the Victorian Government’s 2014 Bushfires Economic Recovery Fund.

“The aim of the $1.2 million Bushfires Economic Recovery Fund is to support the recovery of communities affected by bushfires in January and February 2014 by stimulating economic activity,” Mr Bull said.

“The Victorian Coalition Government recognises that economic recovery is often integral to the recovery of communities following natural disasters such as bushfires, particularly in those areas where the disaster has had a clear economic impact.”

Mr Bull said the Victorian Government was investing $50,000 in the Orbost and District Business Capacity Building Project to support economic recovery for businesses in the Orbost district which were impacted by the 2014 bushfires.

“East Gippsland Shire Council will provide mentoring for at least 10 businesses and at least four business workshops or training programs, a minimum of two general networking events and advocacy for local business and employment with large-scale projects in the district,” Mr Bull said.

“This broad range of support will help businesses build their capacity following the bushfires and other events that have impacted on the region’s economy.

“The project will build on a business mentoring program undertaken in 2013-14 which highlighted the need for further training and education in the business community.”

Mr Bull said the Victorian Government funding towards the $70,000 Orbost and District Business Capacity Building Project would be provided to East Gippsland Shire Council, which would contribute $20,000.

“The 2014 Bushfires Economic Recovery Fund is supporting initiatives such as tourism promotion, buy-local marketing campaigns, small infrastructure and streetscape projects and community development initiatives,” Mr Bull said.

“These initiatives will help build confidence in fire-affected communities and help accelerate the recovery process.”