The Nationals Member for Murray Valley, Ken Jasper, highlighted the glaring inconsistencies, inequities and injustices in the new liquor licence fee structure in the Victorian Parliament this week.

Speaking in the Parliament, Mr Jasper made the strongest possible representations on behalf of Murray Valley licensees, opposing the new licences, which apply from January 1 2010.

He highlighted the continuing range of inconsistencies and exorbitant fees being charged on a range of licence holders across his electorate of Murray Valley and sought an immediate investigation of the hardship that anomalies in the legislation are creating by the Minister responsible for the liquor industry, Tony Robinson.

The Nationals Member for Murray Valley, Ken Jasper, today called on the Victorian Government to address a concerning decline in Murray Valley’s high school retention rate.

Mr Jasper said new research by the Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition showed the percentage of students remaining at high school until year 12 in the Hume Region had fallen from 69.6 percent in 2002 to 65.2 per cent in 2009.

The Victorian Government must address this slump in retention rates, not only in Hume Region, but across Victoria, as a matter of urgency, Mr Jasper said.

Liquor industry licensing continues to be a huge issue for licence holders in Murray Valley, but some progress is being made through ongoing representations to the Minister for consumer Affairs, Tony Robinson, The Nationals Member for Murray Valley, Ken Jasper, said today.

Mr Jasper said the State Government’s action in seeking to raise $35 million from liquor license fees with massive increases for all license holders has been a major issue, with enormous implications for license holders across his electorate of Murray Valley, and all because the Government needs to address problem areas in King Street and other hotspots, particularly in Melbourne.

A huge problem for license holders is that these massive fee increases have been approved from January 1 2010, creating difficulties for those seeking a review of trading hours or consideration for reduced fees on hardship grounds, he said.

CFA units from Ovens-Eurobin [Beechworth], Tatong and Whitegate will each receive donations of $4000 during a presentation at Apex Park, Wangaratta, at noon, Friday, February 19 2010, The Nationals Member for Murray Valley, Ken Jasper, said today.

Mr Jasper said the donations, from the Glenvale Private School, are part of $206,000 in donations to 47 CFA brigades involved in last February’s tragic Black Saturday bushfires.

This money has come from the profits realised through the sale of the excellent hardcover book, Firestorm – Black Saturday’s Tragedy, he said.