Aspiring to be best

Dion Teasdale (DT): The need for better access to after hours medical services has been flagged as one of the major issues facing communities in the Upper Yarra.
Will a Liberal Government address this need?
Ted Baillieu (TB): I’ve been a member of the Outer Suburban Interface Service and Development Committee.
I attended a public hearing in the Upper Yarra and was made acutely aware of the need for better health services in the region.
There is a whole range of issues in the area – whether its the need for more ambulance services, more GP services, more community health and education, or community housing.
All these issue are very real in the Upper Yarra.
The shortage of doctors in the Upper Yarra is a big issue.
That’s why a Liberal Government will provide funding for one new doctor in Warburton as part of our $48 million Rural Health Plan.
DT: The Shire of Yarra Ranges is not an urban growth corridor, yet there can be a trend for governments to focus a lot of funding on rapidly growing areas.
The Yarra Ranges has a number of townships and communities where there is a lot of social disadvantage.
How will a Liberal Government address this?
TB: We’ve had seven years of significant surpluses under the Bracks Government.
These guys have had the money to address social disadvantage in areas like the Yarra Ranges.
You have to ask yourself, where has the money gone?
Property in the Yarra Ranges has increased in value as tourism in the area has grown and that sometimes makes it harder for people to establish themselves.
People working in the Yarra Ranges can not always afford to live there and many people are being forced into housing options they might not prefer.
DT: How do you go about tackling that?
How do you deal with social isolation, the need for more public transport, better access to services, recreation and employment opportunities?
TB: We will be making announcements about improvements to public transport.
I’d like to see public transport services improved in the area.
More frequent public transport services came up as one of the big issues on the Outer Suburban Interface Service and Development Committee I was on.
The Bracks Government have made all sorts of promises about having hourly services and they haven’t delivered on that.
I’d definitely like to see more frequent services in the Yarra Valley.
DT: You mentioned the tourism growth in the Yarra Valley in recent years.
What will a Liberal Government do to ensure that growth continues? Will there be additional resources put into marketing the area and supporting tourism operators?
TB: The current government has spent lots of money on advertising but tourism numbers are down.
Advertising alone is not being effective and is not consolidating on the tourism interest in areas like the Yarra Valley.
What we want to do is encourage people to visit a whole region, not just visit one attraction at a time.
We want to encourage people to visit multiple attractions in an area and increase people’s knowledge of the range of attractions they can visit.
DT: The Bracks Government has rolled out of natural gas along the Warburton Highway, but was unable to include Warburton in its program.
Will a Liberal Government connect Warburton to gas?
TB: Of the towns along the Warburton Highway, Warburton has one of the greatest capacities for accommodation.
The Government should be living up to its promise to explore how towns like Warburton can be connected.
They’ve made promises to towns all over the place and they’ve fallen way short.
We would have to pick up the pieces and try and deliver gas to places like Warburton.
If gas has been connected to Millgrove, we need to see if we can find a way to get gas to Warburton.
DT: What can the people of the Yarra Valley expect from you as Premier?
TB: People can expect someone who has grown up in Victoria and who loves Victoria passionately.
We will focus on delivering better services and higher standards.
We won’t be wasting taxpayers money, we’ll be using common sense and, above all else, we’ll be aspiring to be the best that Victoria can be, rather than being content with mediocrity.