IN THE wake of Ted Baillieu’s resignation as Victorian Premier on Wednesday,
Member for Swan Hill Peter Walsh says he is excited by the prospect of a new,
regionally-based leader.
“[This government] has had a good story to tell, but
we haven’t necessarily been telling it well enough,” Mr Walsh said.
“All you
have to do is look at all the things that have come into the Swan Hill region
recently.”
Replacing Mr Baillieu is Member for South West Coast Denis
Napthine, whose electorate covers an area of Western Victoria which includes
Warrnambool and Portland.
Prior to entering parliament in 1988, Dr Napthine
worked as a vet in regional Victoria.
Despite the change in leadership, Mr
Walsh said it would be “business as usual” for the government in coming
weeks.
“The mood [in Friday’s cabinet meeting] was fine,” he said.
“There
will be changes in style and the new Premier will be the one to do
that.”
Categorically ruling out a change in the leadership of Victorian
Nationals Party to mirror their coalition counterparts, Mr Walsh said Mr
Baillieu’s announcement on Wednesday had come as a shock.
“It was certainly
quite surprising, but the leadership is an issue for the Liberal Party and they
have resolved that issue.”
Mr Walsh added he was excited to see a regional
politician in the state’s top job.
“He has been a country member of
parliament for his whole career and he has spent a lot of time travelling the
state with his various portfolios including ports, racing, regional cities and
major projects,” he said.
Despite Mr Walsh’s endorsement, opposition leader
Daniel Andrews said the new Premier’s track record in regional and rural
Victoria was concerning.
“As we are seeing daily, the Napthine/Baillieu
Government’s budget cuts across regional and rural Victoria are very real — they
are impacting on real families right across the state,” Mr Andrews
said.
“Despite being Minister for Regional Cities, Dr Napthine has done
nothing except cut Labor ribbons and orchestrate budget cuts.”
By contrast,
Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) president Peter Tuohey said he welcomed Dr
Napthine as Premier because of the MP’s history of support for regional
Victoria.
“While I’m sure Dr Napthine will work for all Victorians, the VFF
appreciates his depth of knowledge in transport, agriculture and regional
issues,” Mr Tuohey said.
