By ANTHONY RADFORD

PREMIER John Brumby announced a much-needed $9.5 million boost to Bendigo hospital during a visit to the city last Friday.
During the first of three pre-budget announcements, Mr Brumby ticked off on the hospital’s urgent request for the money to redevelop its emergency department.
The money will add another storey on the ED, and allow for the construction of an eight-bed short stay unit for patients not sick enough to be admitted, but required to be monitored.
The money will create and free up more-urgent beds.
The funding was part of a $135 million rural health announcement Mr Brumby said was part of closing the divide between the city and country.
“I was here at Bendigo hospital in January and I visited this emergency department,” he said.
“The reason I visited ... was to see first hand the pressure on this ED.
“It was put to me very strongly there was a need for a new ED facility.”
Mr Brumby said any money for the entire redevelopment of the Bendigo hospital would be considered at next year’s budget.
Liberal Party member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell said the government had not gone far enough.
“Interim funding for Bendigo Hospital is not enough, we need a state government funding commitment for the full redevelopment of the hospital and a time line for works,” she said.
Nationals member for Northern Victoria Damian Drum questioned the motivation of the announcement.
“The $9.5 million for Bendigo hospital’s accident and emergency department has raised questions about Labor’s willingness to get on with the job of redeveloping the entire hospital,” he said.

AN election commitment to re-build Bendigo’s Stella Anderson Nursing Home was delivered in this week’s state budget.
During yet another pre-budget announcement, member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan announced a $13.6 million upgrade to residents on Monday.
“This will deliver a state-of-the-art 60- bed facility for the aged community in and around Bendigo,” she said.
“The development will be the biggest in nursing home services in Bendigo since the Labor government built the 60-bed $8.3 million Joan Pinder facility in 2003.
The new nursing home will be built next to the Joan Pinder facility at Eaglehawk.
Liberal Party member for Northen Victoria Wendy Lovell said such funding was coming too slowly into the region.

By ANTHONY RADFORD

FACING mumurings of a country backlash, the state government this week delivered a rural-friendly budget that should continue Bendigo’s recent strong economic growth.
A year of heavy criticism over plans to build the north-south pipeline and a desalination plant in regional areas, as well as strong concern over hospital and school funding, John Brumby’s first budget as premier delivered in those areas.
Most of Bendigo’s budget goodies were announced before it was handed down on Tuesday.
Mr Brumby announced money for a much-needed $9.5 million redevelopment of Bendigo  hospital’s emergency department during a visit to the city last Friday.
On Monday, member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan announced the go-ahead for the $13.6 million redevelopment of Bendigo Health’s Stella Anderson Nursing Home.
On the morning of Tuesday’s budget, Ms Allan visited the Flora Hill Secondary College to announce a further $41 million of funding to go towards the Bendigo Education Plan, the program that is merging the city’s five junior secondary schools into four new facilities.
The only other part of the budget that is expected to have a direct impact on locals, has also been touted by treasurer John Lenders as one of its centrepieces  – the $3000 first-home-owners bonus for regional houses.
Mr  Lenders said the $3000 bonus was on top of the government-funded $7000 First Home Owners Grant and the $5000 First Home Bonus for newly constructed homes.
“Families buying their first home in regional Victoria can receive up to $15,000 in Government incentives,” Mr Lenders said.
“The Brumby Labor Government is committed to growing Victoria’s regions and this grant will encourage many young families to buy a new home in regional Victoria.
“Our Government’s investment in regional Victoria over the past eight years has made our great provincial cities and rural towns more attractive for young families. This new $3000 bonus will mean more young families will choose to live in regional and rural Victoria.”
A person buying a house and land package in Bendigo prior to construction, worth $260,000 with land worth $115,000, would attract only $2510 in stamp duty and will receive $15,000 in government support up front.
Liberal Party member or Northern Victoria  “snubbed” Bendigo’s transport issues and failed to provide funds to improve the region’s irrigation infrastructure.
She said the budget had missed out on funding in the 2008-09 budget including the Calder Highway interchange at Ravenswood and the Harcourt recycling pipeline project.
“It is also disappointing the Brumby Government has failed to commit to advance the Bendigo Transportation Study, which has stalled since it began in 2006, or provide funds to accelerate works to enable Coliban Water to begin piping its crumbling 19th century channel system, which currently wastes water through seepage and evaporation,” she said.
Nationals member for Northern Victoria Damian Drum said the government should have done more.
“Labor had a huge opportunity to do so much with the staggering amount of taxes they have been raking in for years, but failed,” he said.

ONE of the major highlights of this week’s state budget for the region was the part funding of the second stage of the Bendigo Education Plan.
Bendigo’s two state government members of parliament, Bob Cameron and Jacinta Allan announced $41 million in the budget to go towards the building of four new state-of-the-art secondary schools for the city.
“This funding comes on top of the $20 million allocated in last year’s state budget to kick off the Bendigo Education Plan,” Ms Allan said.
“By the end of the building program, every year seven to 10 student at a government school in Bendigo will be taught in brand new school buildings, and that is good for students ad teachers.”
Liberal Party Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell said the funding was not enough.
“The Brumby Government has left an $11 million black hole in the budget for the Bendigo Education Plan, which could lead to the development of second-grade schools if the full $72 million – as promised by the Bracks Labor Government – is not delivered,” she said.
Her Nationals counterpart Damian Drum agreed.
“The $41 million announced to get on with the Bendigo Education Plan, while important, is an extension of decisions made two years ago, and is still not fully funded. There’s just over $11 million to find yet,” he said.
“There are now also questions about Labor’s statements that now all four new secondary schools will be completed about the same time.
“There’s two ways to do this: by speeding up the second two, or delaying the first two. It’s looking more like a delay than a speeding up.”
Mr Cameron said the opposition parties were in no position to comment on education funding, given their history of closing schools.
“Labor was the only party that committed funds to the Bendigo Education Plan at the last stat election, and now Labor’s delivering on its commitment,” he said.
“The Liberals wanted to wreck the Bendigo Education Plan and deny Bendigo students their new schools by not committing one dollar to build new schools during the state election.”
However, Ms Lovell said the Liberals have supported the BEP.
Mr Drum said the Labor party had also closed schools.
“The Cain/Kirner Labor government closed 306 schools between 1986 and 1994 under a scheme known as District Provision,” he said.
“The Kennett Coalition government closed less than that, and the Bracks/Brumby Government has closed more than 20 in recent years and sold the sites.
“I am a supporter of the Bendigo Education Plan, but one simple fact is that four schools are replacing five: They are closing Golden Square Secondary College, but you don’t hear opposition MPs ranting and raving about it.”
The four new schools, at Eaglehawk, White Hills, Flora Hill and Kangaroo Flat, will be built by 2010.