Thursday, 14 June 2018

PEULICH: Labor Inflated Budget, Victorians Pay the Bill

Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Inga Peulich MLC has called out the Andrews Labor Government
for spending an additional $33million in the multicultural affairs budget without improvements in the
budget outputs.

At this week’s Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC) hearing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs
Robin Scott MP admitted said that the Government has no plans to increase the number of Victorians
engaged in Multicultural and Social Cohesion events despite the massive budget increase.

Minister Scott vaguely tried to justify the increase but could not account for the use of all $33million.

According to its own budget outputs, Labor has failed to deliver improved services to our CALD
communities.

Worse still, there is inadequate transparency and accountability for how the increased budget in an election
year will be spent.

Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Inga Peulich MLC:

“There is a serious lack of accountability and transparency in the multicultural affairs budget which explains
the lack of improvements in the government’s own budget outputs in multicultural affairs.”

“Either budget output reforms have failed, or Labor’s massive election war chest in multicultural affairs
signals a major vote buying exercise that the government would rather keep secret.”

“Only a Liberal Nationals government is capable of implementing effective and efficient programs to really
benefit our CALD communities.”