2021 proved another challenging year for federal, state and local governments as they navigated a pandemic as well as progress. News chief correspondent Darren Linton looks back at the year in politics through the lens of the people, policy, projects and progress.
People
Greater Shepparton City councillor Kim O’Keeffe started and ended the year as mayor, which was, to say the least, unexpected. When Cr O’Keeffe was elected in December 2020 it was thought newly elected councillor Rob Priestly, who was elected deputy mayor, would succeed her the following year.
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As we all know, a year is a long time in politics, and by the time the mayoral election rolled around in November, Cr Priestly was out of the running, having nominated as an independent candidate for the federal seat of Nicholls held by Nationals MP Damian Drum.
Cr Priestly made the announcement ahead of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, with the federal Coalition still at odds about committing to net zero emissions, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison undecided about even attending.
Greater Shepparton City Council had already joined many other organisations in declaring a climate emergency and Cr Priestly launched his campaign by taking aim at the failure of major parties to deliver what communities wanted.
‘‘I will push hard for the outcomes the community wants, and the party system is not delivering,’’ he said.
‘‘This includes restrictions on gambling advertising, better Indigenous recognition, anti-corruption measures, net zero emissions and better standards of behaviour in parliament.’’
Weeks later Mr Drum ended six months of debate with himself, declaring that with a heavy heart, he would stand down at the 2022 Federal Election.
The 61-year-old, who spent 14 years in the Victorian Parliament before switching to Canberra six years ago, said he could no longer commit “110 per cent” to the people of Nicholls.
“I’ve been agonising over this for six months and have finally come to a decision,” he said.
“I’ve been in parliament between state and federal for 20 years. It is an amazing job and such a wonderful privilege, but it is also incredibly demanding.”
The year ended with a flurry of preselection positioning. Cr O’Keeffe decided against seeking pre-selection as a Liberal candidate but Sam Birrell, the outgoing chief executive of the Committee for Greater Shepparton, stepped forward to nominate for the Nationals.
Cobram farmer and teacher Stephen Brooks confirmed he would seek Liberal Party pre-selection.
In state politics, the premier went missing for months after suffering a serious back injury in a fall, and Opposition leader Michael O’Brien was replaced by his predecessor Matthew Guy.
Mr Guy visited Shepparton in December, talking up the need to grow the regions, including manufacturing.
People came to the fore in August when governments at all levels were slow to react to a growing crisis in Greater Shepparton. COVID-19 outbreaks at major secondary and primary schools forced a third of the population into mandatory isolation.
Charities, civic leaders, businesses, multicultural communities and ordinary citizens banded together to provide support and deliver food and medicine. What it demonstrated was the strength and self-reliance that makes regional communities such as Shepparton a great place to live.
Policy
The pandemic dominated most areas of life in 2021 and it was no different with policy.
State Member for Shepparton Suzanna Sheed wore flak for her consistent support for public health measures including the regular extension of emergency declarations that triggered the enormous powers of chief health officer Brett Sutton.
Ms Sheed was critical of the permit system that blocked local residents from returning home, a system later found by Ombudsman Deborah Glass to be “inhumane” due to the narrow discretion that was exercised.
Ms Sheed also criticised the rushed process for the Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021. The bill was the subject of intense debate but was ultimately passed following amendments with the support of three upper house crossbenchers.
Border policy was the standout debate during 2021 as the Morrison Government struggled to implement a one-size-fits-all roadmap out of the pandemic.
The roadmap was based on all states implementing the same measures based on levels of vaccination and transition to “living with COVID-19” rather than harsh measures to try to stem its spread.
For Victoria and NSW, two states where major outbreaks led to extended lockdowns, the vaccinate-and-open path was attractive.
In states with little disease, such as Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania, vaccination rates were much slower and protectionist models, including hard borders, persisted. In WA, opening up is set for February 2022, but the emergence of the Omicron variant has further muddied the waters.
Climate change also divided sides of politics but ultimately Australia did commit to net zero emissions by 2050.
How to get there remains the unresolved problem, with a heavy reliance on emerging technology.
It also emerged that billions of dollars in renewable energy projects were stalled across the region due to policy failures in energy network reform that would allow new projects to connect and safely feed in power from large solar projects.
At a local level, the biggest policy milestone of the year was the adoption in March of the Shepparton and Mooroopna 2050: Regional City Growth Plan.
The plan had been left hanging by the previous council amid consternation from some landholders in Shepparton East who were left out of the growth area zoned for future residential development.
Future supply of land also became an issue as a rush on housing blocks ate up three years of supply in a matter of months. Council maintains adequate land is zoned to meet the needs for the next 15 years, but developers say rapid approvals are needed or the city will have limited supply over the next few years.
At risk is missing out on population growth sparked by people moving out of capital cities and placing increased pressure on the existing housing market, which boomed in 2021, and making the rental market even tighter.
Shepparton manufacturer SPC became the first Australian business to announce a vaccination mandate for workers, which fostered a national debate on the issue. The move won support politically and from health authorities but brought a torrent of abuse from the anti-vaccination crowd.
Mandatory vaccination became policy for Victorian Government employees and a range of industries, sparking weekly protests.
Projects
There was real hope that 2021 would be the year for the Shepparton Bypass project, which has been waiting more than 25 years for the green light.
Considered too expensive to build in one go, the project was broken down into bite-sized chunks and the Morrison Government committed more than $200 million to the first stage, which included an important second river crossing between Shepparton and Mooroopna.
The Victorian Government, which has invested $10 million in preparatory works, was asked to complete a business case, which was duly provided to the Australian Government and that is where we are stuck.
The funding split is 80 per cent federal, 20 per cent state, but neither side has been prepared to release the business case, so we can’t even say who or what is holding things up.
The cost is clearly much higher than expected. Maybe 2022 is the year?
In 2021 Greater Shepparton added the new Shepparton Art Museum and Museum of Vehicle Evolution, and the GV Health redevelopment really took shape. But the focus was on three other projects still in the pipeline: the new Greater Shepparton Secondary College, the Shepparton rail line upgrade project and the Maude St Mall redevelopment.
As the new single-campus college rose out of the ground on the old Shepparton High School site, debate still raged about the need for another school choice and the management of the transition.
GSSC faced an adverse report about its culture, and numerous reports about violence and bullying on its three temporary campuses. All the while, the Victorian Government, and particularly Education Minister James Merlino, remained steadfastly committed to the project and the benefits of a combined school.
By year’s end the new campus was almost complete and full of promise for the first school year, with Barbara O’Brien taking on the role of executive principal to lead the new school.
Major works currently under way will help deal with the much larger volumes of vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians around the new campus.
The Shepparton rail upgrade project gained momentum during the year with Stage 3 works now rolled into Stage 2. Platform extensions, a new rail yard north of the Shepparton station, a passing loop and upgrades to dozens of level crossings are paving the way for faster VLocity trains to run on the tracks. The passing loop will mean not only faster trains, but more frequent daily return services.
The only downside is the completion date has slipped by six months to late 2024.
Work has also started on the $17.5 million redevelopment of the Maude St Mall in Shepparton after years of lobbying and debate.
The project will get under way in earnest in the new year and is expected to be completed by September.
The redevelopment will incorporate slow moving traffic and parking in the mall.
Another critical works project during 2021 was a major refurbishment of the ageing Watt Rd bridge in Mooroopna over the Goulburn River. The bridge remains an important link given it will still be some years before an alternative second crossing is built, even if the Shepparton Bypass is funded in 2022.
Finally, a development most in the city would like to see seemed to get further away. Greater Shepparton City Council erected temporary fencing around the derelict Shepparton Hotel and declared it a danger to the public. Works were ordered to make the structure safe but there appears little prospect of the site being redeveloped.
From 2022 the owners will have to pay additional rates, part of a punitive rate structure introduced by the council, to encourage owners of derelict land to do something with it.
Progress
The region has emerged from the pandemic seemingly more assured and confident.
Unemployment is low but the emerging issue of labour and skills gaps has the potential to seriously dampen growth.
Shepparton’s property market experienced huge growth, in part due to population shifts, Melbourne’s population declined and some of the transfer was to the regions, where affordability and lifestyle could be married with the more flexible working arrangements we have all had to embrace.
Continued growth will require land, and there are growing calls for more rapid approvals to keep pace with demand.
Politics and policy will play a critical role in fostering the emergence of the region and part of that is promoting the good things. We are a food bowl, a strong business and service centre, a centre for innovation, a city of culture, food, wine and sports.
In 2021 we showed the strength of our community and the resilience of our regional economy.
At year’s end, water, migration, education and training, climate, trade, and infrastructure are where policy makers can make the most impact.
Shepparton News chief correspondent