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Response to Federal Budget 2021-22 on the Mornington Peninsula

 21 May 2021

The Committee for Mornington Peninsula welcomes the funding commitments in the 2021-22 Federal Budget that will benefit the Mornington Peninsula.

To help Mornington Peninsula communities recover from the economic effects of the pandemic, the CfMP is pleased that around 54,900 taxpayers on the Mornington Peninsula are expected to benefit from up to $2,745 tax relief this year, which will stimulate our local economy and support local jobs.

The CfMP is pleased to see more support for local businesses on the Mornington Peninsula to adequately support our local economy in the ongoing COVID recovery after a year of record job losses. Initiatives include the extended instant asset write-off, which will apply to around 26,400 local businesses; the extended loss carry-back measure, which will be available to around 7,300 local businesses; and the continuation of the tax-free cashflow boost.

Considering the construction industry is the third-largest employer on the Mornington Peninsula, employing 7,224 individuals as at January 2021, the CfMP is pleased to see specific support for apprentices on the Mornington Peninsula through expanded wage subsidies as part of this Budget.

As one of the major barriers Mornington Peninsula residents face is access to local jobs training, the CfMP welcomes the expansion of the JobTrainer Fund to upskill local jobseekers and young people to make their next career move.

Since 2019, the CfMP has advocated for the development of infrastructure to enable Class A recycled water to be affordably available to support the region’s agricultural production.

The CfMP is pleased to see new funding for the development of a business case for the Tyabb-Somerville Water Recycling Scheme, now identified as a nationally significant water infrastructure. The Scheme will provide Class A recycled water to Tyabb and Somerville and is expected to support an estimated $50 - $60 million in gross agricultural production and provide climate-independent access to up to 2,400 megalitres of affordable water every year.

Since Federal funding was announced for the Frankston to Baxter rail extension and duplication project in 2018, the CfMP has been involved in stakeholder consultations to assist its progression.

The CfMP is delighted to see the $225 million federal funding commitment to the Frankston rail extension maintained in the 2021-22 Federal Budget. The CfMP is committed to working with Federal, State and Local Government and stakeholders to progress this public transport initiative, so that a metropolitan train service can extend as far as possible onto the Mornington Peninsula.

The CfMP recognises the significant federal funding commitments for specific projects on the Mornington Peninsula that were announced in previous budgets have been maintained in the 2021-22 Federal Budget.

We note however that there are limited new funding announcements for projects on the Mornington Peninsula as part of this Federal Budget compared with previous Federal Budgets, in just over $20 million of new funding announced across two local initiatives. These initiatives include upgrading the Uralla Road and Forest Drive intersections with Nepean Highway in Mount Martha and developing a business case for the Tyabb-Somerville water recycling scheme.

The CfMP would have liked to see more federal investment to improve mobile reception and NBN coverage on the Mornington Peninsula to enable more effective local business operations and better facilitate increased studying and working from home arrangements for local residents.

The CfMP looks forward to continuing to work with the Federal Government for a Mornington Peninsula with better access to higher education and TAFE, improved public transport access, and to create local skilled jobs.