A $1.7 billion upgrade of Victoria’s public transport ticketing system is in chaos with reports emerging that parts of the consortium overseeing the upgrade have walked away with timelines not being met. The 15-year contract to update the system was won by Conduent Transportation in mid-2023 and included the introduction of new technology to allow…
LETTER TO THE EDITOR – Back to school As a new school year approaches, I would like to wish our teachers, students, staff and families a great year ahead. Last year I had the pleasure of visiting many primary and secondary schools across my electorate and it was really fantastic to get to meet and…
As Victoria scrambles to address skills shortages across sectors as diverse as construction and healthcare, the Allan Labor Government has made another callous cut to crucial training funding. Vital Skills First funding has been slashed from Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) with the axing of the 10 per cent funding premium set aside for students to…
Regional Victorians are being urged to snap pictures of the worst potholes in the state in a new competition to put more pressure on the Allan Labor Government to take proper action and improve the appalling and unsafe state of regional roads. The Nationals and Liberals are running a statewide photo competition with the worst…
The Allan Labor Government has announced forced health service mergers across the state following years of financial mismanagement and neglect of Victoria’s health system. The Nationals Member for Shepparton District, Kim O’Keeffe, said: “12 Local Health Service Networks will come into operation on July 1 this year, yet there is no detail on how these networks…
As Greater Shepparton continues to grow, bus routes and services are no longer meeting demand, with The Nationals Member for Shepparton District, Kim O’Keeffe, sponsoring a petition for a bus service review of the region. The last review was completed more than 15 years ago, well before extensive residential developments occurred across Kialla, Congupna and…
The walls of Kim O’Keeffe’s office are covered with over 700 entrants of her Christmas Card competition. The Nationals’ Member for Shepparton District, Kim O’Keeffe said that she was so delighted to receive many entrants from incredibly talented students from across the electorate, all of which have brought so much Christmas joy to her office.…
The Nationals’ Member for Shepparton District, Kim O’Keeffe, has condemned the Allan Labor Government’s decision to increase the fire services levy with its re-branded Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund. The proposed changes to the fire services levy are set to double the amount that Victorian property owners pay each year. Ms O’Keeffe said regional Victorians…
Victorians are struggling to pay Labor’s highest-in-the-nation property taxes on time, as new figures confirm that more than one-in-three unpaid land tax bills are more than 12 months overdue. The Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF) 2023-24 annual report confirms 33.45 per cent of overdue debt – that is, unpaid tax bills are more than…
New data from the State Government has revealed the Allan Labor Government’s neglect for rural and regional roads across the state, with the area of road maintenance undertaken falling by 95 per cent. Data published in the Department of Transport and Planning annual report shows the area of road “rehabilitated or resurfaced” in regional Victoria…