Government bale out Gippsland

The Victorian State Government has committed $85,000 to the Tour of Gippsland from its Ministerial Flood Recovery Taskforce package to ensure the regional event continues. The areas in which the stage race is held were recently battered by severe weather, resulting in extensive flooding throughout the region.

"Sport and tourism play a huge role in shaping regional communities and we are keen to play our role in ensuring this fantastic Gippsland event is kept alive to help get sports and tourism back up and thriving in this part of the state," said State Premier Steve Bracks. "This is a race that has been running since 1996 and has hosted Olympic and Commonwealth Games medallists. This year will again see some of the country's finest road racers compete when the race takes place from August 1-5."

Bracks said funding through the taskforce would go towards saving the prestigious Tour of Gippsland race, helping drive tourism in the area following the recent floods.

"Local sporting organisations are often the cornerstone of regional communities and we want to make sure they continue to be now, and into the future," added sport and recreation minister James Merlino. "The Tour of Gippsland is an excellent example of how the Bracks government's investment in sports can produce beneficial spin-offs in other aspects of communities."