A LOSS of international visitors at the Twelve Apostles has created an opportunity for "rapid progress" on work worth more than $100 million, federal Wannon MP Dan Tehan says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Tehan met with Victorian Industry Support and Recovery Minister Martin Pakula on Monday to push for work on the Shipwreck Coast Master Plan to be expedited this year.
"We are both invested in the Twelve Apostles precinct and the new visitors centre there," Mr Tehan said.
"It would be great in the next 12 months to really see rapid progress there while we are waiting for international tourism to return."
Official figures show that at least 1.4 million fewer people had visited the Twelve Apostles last year due to COVID-19, compared with 2019.
The federal and state government jointly committed $108.15 million to deliver priority projects in 2018, including an all-weather amphitheatre and viewing deck at the Twelve Apostles and upgrades at Gibson's Steps.
It comes as the Warrnambool Racing Club's Matilda Room, also a recipient of federal and state money, went from conception to completion in just over two years.
Mr Tehan labelled that project a "bench mark for getting things done" during an official opening this week.
"It goes to show projects of this scale can be done in that way," he said.
"So often we see projects are over budget, are over time, we should be able to get community projects done in a way where the community knows the money is well spent."
Mr Pakula said he planned to meet with the newly formed Great Ocean Road Authority in coming weeks to discuss the Twelve Apostles project.
"There's a lot of complexity in terms of construction in a pristine environment, but between myself, my colleague (Environment Minister) Lily D'Ambrosio, the authority, and the Commonwealth, we will look to get that work under way as soon as possible," he said.
Mr Tehan said the region's economy had shown "remarkable resilience".
"We are seeing housing prices increase and employment levels reach as they reach pre-COVID," he said.
Mr Tehan said the region was in an "incredibly strong position" ahead of JobKeeper winding down in March.
"We always said that those measures were targeted and time specific, we can't just keep on spending money, we have a responsibility to future generations to make sure we don't burden them with huge debts," he said.
"But now - and this is something we do so well in country communities - it's time to get back standing on our own two feet and make sure what we are doing economically is sustainable for the future."
Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.