Wangaratta backs $3 billion regional growth campaign ahead of election

Published on 17 April 2026

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Yesterday, the Rural City of Wangaratta’s Mayor Irene Grant and new CEO, Matt Nelson, joined Regional Cities Victoria (RCV) and the nine other regional city councils to launch the RCV’s state election advocacy campaign, calling for a $1 billion Regional Fund and a $2 billion Regional Roads Package to meet the growing needs of our communities.

RCV Chair and Warrnambool Mayor, Cr Ben Blain, said RCV’s advocacy was about matching investment to the scale of growth happening across regional Victoria.

“Regional Victoria is doing the heavy lifting when it comes to population growth, but we’re being asked to do it without the infrastructure funding to match.  We’ve got the plans, the land, and the ambition, but without infrastructure funding, we’ll struggle to turn strong regional growth into something we can sustain,” Cr Blain said.

RCV’s call for a $1 billion Regional Fund, following the Victorian Government’s 2023 decision to discontinue the Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund, leaving a significant gap in regional development funding.  The previous program supported more than 1,000 projects and created 13,000 jobs across regional Victoria.

“When the Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund was scrapped, it didn’t just remove funding; it left a gaping hole in economic policy for the regions.  Right now, there is no dedicated pipeline for the kind of investment that brings jobs, unlocks housing and supports projects of scale for growing communities,” Cr Blain said.

As part of its support for RCV’s election platform, the Rural City of Wangaratta has aligned its own advocacy priorities with three shared themes: community infrastructure, unlocking housing growth and workforce capability.

In the areas of community infrastructure, Council is seeking support to fund the:

  • Expansion of the Prosecco Road cycling and walking trail.
  • Construction of the Wangaratta Creative Precinct, delivering a co-located gallery, performing arts, convention and visitor facility.
  • Resealing Wangaratta Aerodrome’s runway, ensuring it retains its CASA classification to continue to provide access to emergency and medical services.
  • Redevelopment of netball courts as part of the Wangaratta Sports and Events Precinct expansion.

To enable the municipality to meet state population growth targets, Council advocates for investment in essential infrastructure, including:

  • Upgrades to Wangaratta’s aging water treatment plant, and
  • Utilities infrastructure to service new industrial land.

Alongside the $1 billion Regional Fund, RCV is calling for a $2 billion Regional Roads Package over four years to address the deteriorated regional network.At yesterday’s Regional Cities Victoria General Meeting, Mayor Irene Grant closed RCV’s Roads Round Table, reinforcing Wangaratta’s backing of RCV’s campaign and the importance of regional roads as critical state infrastructure.

“For regional communities like Wangaratta, roads are fundamental, they connect people to jobs, education and healthcare, support agriculture and freight, and underpin tourism across the North‑East.  Roads are not just local routes; they are key gateways supporting economies, visitor growth and everyday movement,” said Cr Grant.

Mayor Irene Grant said Wangaratta’s experience reflected a broader regional challenge, with councils facing increasing community concern about road conditions and limited funding certainty.

“We hear regularly from our community about the impacts of deteriorating road conditions, and there is growing pressure on Council to keep up with maintenance and renewal. Regional councils need additional funding to manage our networks, but we also need to address the condition of state‑managed roads. In Wangaratta, our 15 most complained‑about roads are managed by the Department of Transport, and I’m sure this is the case for many communities,” she said.

Council calls for a sustainable, CPI-indexed model for local road funding to improve safety, freight efficiency, and access to key tourism destinations such as the King Valley.  Our roads carry more than vehicles – they carry our economy, but most importantly, our loved ones.

Councillors, along with CEO Matt Nelson, will continue to advocate for better roads, infrastructure and improved services, including transport connectivity, for the Rural City of Wangaratta in the lead-up to November’s state election and during interactions with Federal Government officials.

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