Coalition reaffirms Ballarat election pledges
BENJAMIN PREISS
17 Dec, 2010 12:51 AM
THE COALITION government has reaffirmed its commitment to its pre-election pledges in Ballarat even though Labor has retained the local seats.
In the lead-up to last month's state election the Coalition and its candidates made a raft of commitments to voters in the Ballarat East, Ballarat West and Ripon electorates.
The promises ranged from $38 million for the Western Link Road to more modest pledges such as $300,000 for the Creswick Bowling Club.
The Coalition's pre-election pitch also included $18 million for Sebastopol College, $2 million for a helipad at the Ballarat Health Services Base Hospital and a new fire station at Mt Helen.
Days before the election the Coalition also announced it would build two new police station in Ballarat North and Sebastopol.
Yesterday a government spokeswoman said the Coalition would deliver on all the promises it made before the November 27 poll.
"The Coalition is committed to implementing all its policies for the Grampians region and we look forward to working with the community and local organisations to achieve this," she said.
"A Baillieu Government is always prepared to listen to local communities and organisations and would welcome their approach if they believe they have a valid case for funding."
Former Ballarat East Liberal candidate Ben Taylor said the promises he'd made throughout the campaign would be carried out even though he had not been elected to parliament.
"It's bitter-sweet for me in a sense because I'm not actually elected and all the things that were promised is what will be delivered," he said.
"We came up with a lot of them as a priority for the area."
La Trobe University politics lecturer Ian Tulloch said now that Premier Ted Baillieu's government controls both houses of parliament there should be no excuses for failing to deliver on pre-election commitments.
Mr Tulloch said keeping election promises would be crucial to the Coalition's re-election prospects in 2014.
"If he (Ted Baillieu) wants to win any seats in Bendigo and Ballarat he has to fulfill those promises," he said.
http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/news/general/coalition-reaffirms-ballara...NOTHING beats living in
a rural marginal, under a Liberal Government determined to
reclaim their birth right at the next state election
Four years of "PORK-BARRELLING" for Ballarat East !i