Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato, Treasurer John Lenders and Monbulk MP James Merlino last week discussed the state budget at a breakfast meeting. 30614
By Tania Martin
TREASURER John Lenders last week told an outer-eastern breakfast meeting that the record $21 billion State Budget was building for the future.
He said the government needed to spend money to come out of the global economic crisis in a good position.
More than 150 local business people, educators and community services representatives attended the early morning call.
Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato and Monbulk MP James Merlino organised the breakfast and said it was a great opportunity for the outer-east to get an in-depth look at the budget.
Mr Merlino said this budget had been more difficult than previous years with the growing economic crisis, job loss forecasts and the affects of the Black Saturday fires.
“This is a budget of the times, one that sets us up for recovery in the years ahead,” he said.
Mr Lenders said the government was spending big on infrastructure to create more than 35,000 jobs.
Some of the big ticket items announced last week includes $11.5 billion on infrastructure projects, $1 billion for bushfire recovery, a $1.17 billion boost for education, and $3 million for transport.
“We are bring forward projects that needed to be done anyway and it’s creating 35,000 jobs that otherwise wouldn’t be there,” Mr Lenders said.
