Around the table - November 2023
One Gippsland delegation meets with the Hon Catherine King MP Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government
Our Board has continued to work closely with politicians, government agencies and the private sector to champion the strategic challenges facing Gippsland.
Federal Stakeholders
One Gippsland travelled to Canberra for a highly productive meeting with the Hon Catherine King MP, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government to discuss the new federal regional investment framework and regional grants programs that could potentially benefit Gippsland.
This was followed up by a meeting with the Hon Kristy McBain MP Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories to discuss Gippsland’s transition to new industries and the impacts and opportunities for local communities.
One Gippsland also met with Senator the Hon Carol Brown Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport to discuss Gippsland’s infrastructure priorities, particularly road funding and the development of enabling infrastructure arising from the offshore wind development project, particularly Barry Beach terminal.
The delegation was pleased to meet with the Office of the Senator the Hon Tim Ayres Assistant Minister for Trade and Manufacturing to discuss a number of opportunities for the region including the Latrobe air mobility precinct, development of the Barry Beach terminal and discussions on advancing manufacturing and commercial industries.
The One Gippsland delegation also met with the Office of Senator the Hon Don Farrell, Special Minister of State and Minister for Trade and Tourism to discuss tourism projects across Gippsland, Growing Regions Fund applications and trade issues including the development of Barry Beach terminal.
Still in Canberra, the delegation met with the Office of the Hon Michelle Rowland MP Minister for Communications to discuss the digital connectivity challenges in the region as well as the coverage and capacity audit currently underway by the Federal Government.
The One Gippsland delegation also engaged with members of the Opposition, meeting with the Hon David Littleproud MP Leader of the Nationals and Shadow Minister for Agriculture, the Hon Darren Chester MP Member for Gippsland and Mr Russell Broadbent Member for Monash to provide an overview of One Gippsland’s policy priorities, and the strategic challenges facing the region.
State Stakeholders
One Gippsland’s state advocacy program included meeting with the Hon Sonya Kilkenny in her former capacity as Minister for Planning and Outdoor Recreation to discuss the challenges with access to affordable and social housing across the region and planning to enable a smooth renewables build.
The Board also briefed the Minister on One Gippsland’s Flood and Inundation Policy in light of the coastal inundation issues across the region and championed Gippsland’s tracks and trails network and the support required to maintain these outdoor recreation facilities.
The board briefed the Hon Lily D’Ambrosio Minister for Climate Action, Energy and Resources on One Gippsland’s Offshore Wind Policy, and the potential challenges and opportunities presented by the renewable energy investment proposed for the region, particularly the need to ensure a community benefit fund will directly benefits Gippsland and those communities who are on the front line of the renewables developments.
The board also met with the Hon Harriet Shing MLC in her former capacity as Minister for Water, Minister for Regional Development and Minister for Equality to discuss One Gippsland’s policy priorities including housing and tourism priorities for the region in the wake of the cancelled Commonwealth Games.
Our board hosted productive discussions with the Hon Gayle Tierney MLC in her former capacity as Minister for Training and Skills, Education and Minister for Agriculture to discuss representation on the Forestry Reference Group and other Gippsland policy priorities.
The Chair and Secretariat also met with the office of the Hon Jacinta Allan MP in her former capacity as Deputy Premier, Minister for Transport and Infrastructure and Minister for Suburban Rail Loop to discuss the broader ambitions of the region including the unique infrastructure needs of Gippsland and the challenges facing the region’s traditional industries as they transition through change.
Our Board also briefed local representative Mr Wayne Farnham MP State Member for Narracan on One Gippsland’s policy priorities and the transition for the region’s traditional industries.
One Gippsland were pleased to participate in the Gippsland Local Tourism Operator Round Table that was attended by a range of industry representatives and the Minister for Tourism the Hon Steve Dimopoulos MP. This was a collaborative discussion that touched on the tourism funding commitment for regional Victoria in lieu of delivering the 2026 Victorian Commonwealth Games.
The Board hosted an important meeting with VicGrid to discuss the key elements of the Victorian Transmission Investment Framework including the implementation roadmap, project objectives and guiding principles.
Our Board also met with Mr Sam Quigley, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Director Forest and Fire Operations – Gippsland for a timely and informative discussion on the regional bushfire risk and the mitigation strategies in hand for the season ahead.