Towong Shire has come under fire in state Parliament this week for its rejection of plans by Georges Creek couple Ian and Karen Hillas to establish a paintball facility on their property.
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Upper House member and former Wodonga councillor Tim Quilty also had the Victorian Labor government in his sights to assist the council come up with a solution to remove the only hurdle to the venture getting off the ground - a safe access road.
Mr Quilty said the council should be embracing tourism opportunities such as paintball, but conceded its limited rate base meant there were no surplus dollars available to assist.
"I often rail against fat councils wasting money, (but) Towong has no money to waste (and) in some ways it is a model," he said.
"Despite rate hikes that have been double the state cap for the last few years, they have not a dollar to spare.
"I do not want to attack Towong Council, but I do feel that this rejection is a loss for Towong.
"New developments are a way for the council to claw their way out of their hole."
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Towong Shire was approached for comment.
Mr and Mrs Hillas said they thanked Mr Quilty for raising the issue in Parliament and his clear support for the venture.
"Hopefully this will encourage Towong Shire to seek funding from the state government to upgrade Mulholland Road as it would be a win-win for everyone," they said.
Mr Quilty said entrepreneurs were the backbone of communities and the Hillases had put considerable thought into the proposal rejected last week.
"Upgrading the road is one possible solution, there may be others," he said.
"This rejection comes on top of Towong Council recently rejecting the creation of a hunting tourism action plan to hunt deer.
"In light of the growing deer population in their shire, that might also seem like a puzzling decision.
"I will say this to Towong Council, those who help themselves stand a better chance of getting help from other sources."
