Around the table - August 2021

One Gippsland have been gathering around the virtual meeting table, to advocate for our region.

While we have had some great success on priority projects, we aren’t resting on our laurels.  The One Gippsland board and secretariat have spent a lot of time around the table of late, meeting with Ministers, local members of Parliament and departmental officials to advocate for important issues in our region. 

 We have had productive discussions at the ministerial level, meeting with the Hon. Mary-Ann Thomas MP, Victorian Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development, to discuss Gippsland’s priority projects and our essential food and fibre industries. Working across all levels of government, we also met with the office of the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, to receive an update on the Federal Government’s faster rail business case and rail plans for Gippsland.

 Last week we hosted a roundtable of Victorian Coalition and local Gippsland members of Parliament to establish a shared understanding of regional priorities including the Hon Peter Walsh MP, Gary Blackwood MP, Hon Tim Bull MP, Danny O’Brien MP, Melina Bath MP, and Hon Edward O’Donohue MP. This month, One Gippsland also met with the Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing MP to identify and advocate for Gippsland’s strategic projects.

 Delving into the detail, the Board has also hosted key departmental officials including the Victorian Department of Transport, to discuss regional transport.  Tourism initiatives in Gippsland were also firmly on the table, through recent meetings with the Victorian Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions. Our strong food and fibre industry and the challenges it has faced due to COVID-19, bushfires and recent storms was also discussed with Agriculture Victoria.

Image: One Gippsland meets with Victorian Coalition Members of Parliament