Plans for the dark matter laboratory to be built at Stawell Gold Mine have progressed with the announcement of significant funding for the project. The Federal Government has allocated $5 million to the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory in the current budget. This funding is critical for the research laboratory's initial steps of excavation and construction. "With this money, we can start doing excavation which is very exciting," project chief investigator Professor Elisabetta Barberio said. "We need a total of $10 million to complete the lab which would make it quite top notch. We are hoping that the state government can help us with some of the other funding." This project represents

The Federal Government has announced an $80 million commitment for upgrades and improvements for the road network in the South West Victoria. The recent announcement was delivered in Warrnambool by Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack. Road improvements will increase safety and access for many regional and remote communities across the region and support the regionally significant dairy industry, as Minister McCormack explained "This funding will address pinch points and other impediments to freight movements in the region to improve travel times and reduce freight costs, providing a significant boost to the local economy." The road improvements will be delivered to the Princes Highway We