The announcement of Bega Cheese’s decision to close its Strathmerton site is devastating news for its 300 workers, their families, suppliers, contractors and the broader community across the Goulburn Valley.
This is a huge loss of an iconic long term local business and major employer of the town and region, and a clear example of the financial pressure faced by businesses in Victoria.
Under the Allan Labor Government’s watch, another business sadly takes its focus interstate.
Victoria’s growing tax burden and the increasingly high costs of running a business under Labor is making it harder for companies to survive, or to invest in regional communities and sustain local jobs.
We need to ensure support is being given to the impacted workers and their families, who have relied on the stability of Bega’s operations in Strathmerton since 2008 and on the dairy factory, which has been an institution in the town since the 1950s.
I have spoken with Bega’s Executive General Manager of Retail Sales, Marketing & Partnerships and am also working closely with Moira Shire to determine the impact this will have in both the immediate and long-term future.
While the company is planning a phased closure to be completed by mid-2026, we need to understand what this will mean for the affected workers, specifically, what opportunities exist for redeployment or transition to other industries, and what support will be required.
I will continue to liaise with all stakeholders to ensure that support is provided for workers and those significantly impacted. The State and Federal Government must also provide support.
We are seeing so many businesses closing across the state and with Victoria having a reputation of being a place where it’s too expensive to do business, we will see these types of announcements continue as well as new businesses not coming to our state. That has to change.
