Time to make a stand
Dear Editor,
Why should residents in the forgotten town of Broadford be financially supporting the development of towns to the south?
Mitchell Shire’s population currently stands at 64,000, with forecasts reaching almost 222,000 in 20 years, positioning it as Victoria’s fastest-growing local government area. This planned expansion primarily affects southern towns such as Wallan and Beveridge, creating a very real divide between urban and rural priorities.
Broadford, where the council is based, already receives less investment as resources are directed toward this urban development. These are the towns that matter for a council seeking metro-Melbourne status.
In comparison, neighbouring Strathbogie and Murrindindi Shires offer models more aligned with Broadford’s country town profile.
Comparative per capita expenditure provides insight here. Mitchell’s figure is $1,727 for 2025-26, a paltry increase of just $27 from 2018-19. If expenditure had matched the cumulative inflation rate it would be a full 26% higher. Meanwhile, Murrindindi reports $2,834, and Strathbogie $3,247.
Prior to 1994, when Broadford operated as its own Shire, an inflation-adjusted per capita spend would approximate $2,610 currently. This suggests a level of localised investment not replicated today.
It also suggests strongly that the council is becoming more bureaucratic as it’s new cities develop.
Service provision in Mitchell is already being impacted by rapid growth, which often leads to delays in rural infrastructure and the kind of attention Broadford desperately needs. This situation is only going to worsen as the population grows.
The structural plan for the town was a joke. A bad one. Broadford effectively got a few palettes of wood and a couple of metres of artificial turf from Bunnings, for its ‘pop up park’; and not a lot else.
Where is the proactive plan to better residents lives?
Obviously, it’s time for Broadford to leave Mitchell Shire.
Robert Phillips
The stone dwellers state
Dear Editor,
I could not agree more with Ian Blyth’s opinion, A Haunted inheritance” (NCR September 30). He was absolutely spot on about Jacinta Allan and her Government.
Recently, we have had a report that details 300,000 unsolved crimes in Victoria, with Victoria Police pointing out that there have been 638,640 offences in the 12 months to June 2025. This is hardly surprising since $50 million was cut from the Victoria Police budget, $30 million was cut from Victorian Courts, and a $169 million reduction in court-related capital expenditure.
Premier Allan has just returned from her junket to China with four backbenchers at taxpayers’ expense, and what were the benefits to Victoria? No doubt she is working on the usual waffle response.
We have Lily D’Ambrosio continually spinning the old story that Victoria is getting cheap energy with renewables. Instead, the $275 savings promised annually ballooned out to costs of $470 annually.
Back in April 2017, Minister D’Ambrosio spent $38,227 on a trip to Germany, Denmark and the UK about “energy transition”. In September that year, she spent another $39,707 on a trip to China to “talk about clean energy”. Ask the Minister a question about energy, and despite those two overseas trips, she remains answerless.
In the 2023-2024 financial year, road funding was cut to just $37.6 million, down from $201.4 million the previous year. The Federal budget in March 2022 announced a reduction in Black Spot funding of 20% by 2026.
It also announced that Mobile Black Spot funding would end in 2026/27. Now it seems that Victoria is to get $38.9 million in Black Spot funding for 74 dangerous roads in 2025/26, just in time for next year’s State election, although in March this year, at least 480 regional roads had speed limit reductions or driver warnings due to the poor state of the roads. What about the other 406 roads?
Isn’t it about time that Jacinta Allan and her Ministers cut out the overseas junkets and spent more time reducing the astronomical crime rate and fixing our roads? I hope that the voters in Mill Park will do Victoria a favour and remove Minister D’Ambrosio at the next State election and elect someone with an ounce of care.
Brian Mawhinney
Traralgon
