Liberal Indi candidate Steve Martin has fired a shot at Daniel Andrews, from the Victorian premier's home town of Wangaratta.
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Speaking at this week's ABC election forum, Mr Martin criticised the state government for not doing enough to help victims of December flooding at Tarrawingee. He said federal Senator Linda Reynolds wrote a letter asking for the criteria to be changed so residents could get access to funding support.
"Daniel Andrews wasn't prepared to write that letter to assist our communities, which I'm sure for any of you who were out and saw the impact of the floods in December would agree, was severe," Mr Martin said.
"Unfortunately we have a state government that's completely fixated with the city."
Independent candidate Helen Haines turned the pressure back on the Coalition, saying Indi was sick of parties making funding announcement without any guarantees.
"This is clearly pork-barrelling. Any line items such as this for major projects, we didn't hear about them when the budget was announced," she said.
"These are just promises and ways to try and increase the hopes of rural and regional Australians and the people of Indi.
"I actually feel that it makes people feel used, it really does."
The biggest announcement so far has been $64 million for the McKoy Street intersection, made by Prime Minister Scott Morrison when he visited Wodonga this week.
Labor candidate Eric Kerr was skeptical of the timing to allocate funding.
"It wasn't long ago we were at The Border Mail forum in Wodonga and talking about this intersection needing more work and careful consideration," he said.
"Yet four days later we have a Prime Minister in town ready to go.
"It does scream of a party who is concerned."
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