With the Victorian State Election less than a month away, Baw Baw Shire Council continues to advocate for the community ensuring local priorities and opportunities remain firmly on the agenda both now and beyond election day.
Baw Baw Shire Mayor Cr Kate Wilson said the past few months had been encouraging with productive meetings taking place at both state and federal levels.
“Recently, we reached out to each candidate for Narracan to discuss our advocacy priorities and the support needed from government. These conversations have been valuable in identifying opportunities for collaboration and hearing different perspectives on the issues affecting our community”, the Mayor said.
“Discussions have covered a range of important priorities including the need for a new hospital in West Gippsland, investment in roads, intersections and public transport, business attraction and tourism, paths and trails, sporting infrastructure and improved access to financial assistance grants.
“Several meetings have already taken place with more scheduled in the coming weeks. This is an important time to ensure our community’s needs are heard and understood. While some election commitments have been made for priority projects, we want to see further commitments translate into meaningful action and real outcomes.”
“When the time comes, we’re ready to work with our state representatives to deliver for our growing community.”
Council’s advocacy has also extended to the national level where earlier this month the Mayor and CEO Tilla Buden attended Parliament House in Canberra with regional advocacy body One Gippsland.
The delegation also included South Gippsland Shire Council Mayor Cr Nathan Hersey, CEO South Gippsland Shire Council Allison Jones, CEO Food & Fibre Gippsland Simon Johnson and Secretariat One Gippsland Rachael Sweeney who met with Members of Parliament, advisors and other Australian Government representatives to advocate for local and regional needs.
Mayor Wilson said the visit was an important opportunity for regional leaders to take our collective voices to the highest level.
Meetings were held with the Hon. Kristy McBain MP, the Hon. Darren Chester MP, Amelia Pratt (Advisor to the Hon. Angus Taylor MP), Jamie Chaffey MP, Tom Campbell-Hardwick (Advisor to Senator the Hon. Murray Watt), Senator the Hon. Bridget McKenzie, and our local member for Monash Mary Aldred MP.
Throughout the day, the delegation raised a range of priorities including transport projects, housing developments and targets, economic and agricultural opportunities, access to Commonwealth Financial Assistance Grants and emergency preparedness.
“Each meeting was an important step in building a shared understanding of our local priorities, opportunities and challenges, while strengthening collaboration between Gippsland Councils and the Australian Government to achieve meaningful outcomes for the communities we serve”, the Mayor said.
As the Victorian State Election approaches, Council encourages community members to stay informed about the commitments being made to support the municipality. Residents can track election commitments made by each party using the 2026 Victorian State Election Tracker tool developed by One Gippsland.
Council welcomes further opportunities to meet with elected members and government representatives throughout the election period and beyond to continue advocating for the Baw Baw Shire community.
Community members are also encouraged to continue supporting local advocacy campaigns. Through Council’s online advocacy platform Do Gooder, residents can send pre-drafted letters of support directly to candidates and elected representatives for shovel-ready projects helping reinforce the case for future investment.
Current campaigns seeking community support include:
