There's "no excuse" for the state government to not fund Warrnambool's boat ramp and breakwater upgrades in next week's budget, Liberal MPs say.
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The new opposition spokesperson for boating and fishing Brad Rowswell visited the city on Thursday to inspect the damaged facilities. Mr Rowswell called on the government to allocate funding in the budget for the project and make Warrnambool a world class venue for fishing and boating.
"This isn't a new problem. It's needed to be fixed for some time," he said. "Up until this point, they've been saying they don't have the bucket of money to pull the cash from.
"Well they do now. It's called the fishing and boating fund and the first tranche of that funding was announced very recently and Warrnambool missed out."
Mr Rowswell said the government couldn't say "it's the number one priority" in one voice and then not fund it.
"The government is borrowing $150 billion and have done so in this term of government. They can't say that the cash isn't there," he said.
South West Coast MP Roma Britnell said there had been a long campaign for a breakwater and boat ramp upgrade.
As soon as Mr Rowswell took on the portfolio five weeks ago, Ms Britnell invited him to visit Warrnambool's decaying facilities.
Ms Britnell said the breakwater and boat ramp were important for the city's economy and tourism. "The government's got no excuse not to be doing it in this budget and that's what we've been calling for," she said.
"And given post-COVID, the need for keeping the regions connected and having things you can safely use is a big priority," she said.
"The government's got no excuse not to be doing it in this budget and that's what we've been calling for."
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