Mulwala was the first port of call for Federal Member for Farrer and Deputy Opposition member Sussan Ley on a series of January visits to mid-Murray towns in her electorate last Thursday.
A key topic from several meetings was ongoing concern with slow progress on a new Yarrawonga-Mulwala bridge.
Ms Ley said it is unfortunate the Federal Albanese Government has cut back on regional funding for major infrastructure like this, while NSW’s latest Murray River Crossings priority review “has slowed to a dawdle, if not a red light”.
“Is this a coincidence? I don’t know, but it worries me nothing will properly progress until we see a Coalition government returned - and that length of time is not good enough,” she told the Yarrawonga Chronicle.
The local federal MP gave assurances she and cross-border colleague Sam Birrell (Member for Nicholls) would continue pressuring Labor on funding a new crossing, with mounting congestion and safety issues continuing to plague the existing 100-year-old structure.
In other news, Ms Ley welcomed Federation Council’s decision to keep its main Australia Day events to January 26. “I want to pay credit to Mayor Pat Bourke, the councillors and staff for properly supporting our national day.
“We should be proud to mark our national day because we should all be proud to be Australians.”
“We are always pleased to see Sussan – she’s a strong supporter of a new bridge,” Mulwala Progress Association President Robert Purtle OAM said.
“We just hope she can help get all involved from the two State Governments and the Federal Government to meet and agree on a clear path of action towards design and construction of the bridge.
“Traffic movements are increasing all the time. A current traffic count is to include Australia Day.”