**Check against delivery
Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for taking the time to come to this significant event to recognise the commencement of restoration works to the Bacchus Marsh Avenue of Honour.
It was 12 months ago that I announced that the Australian Government would provide a grant of $500,000 to:
- Restore the avenue
- Preserve local history, and
- Help increase local tourism through improved facilities such as parking and visitor amenities.
Australian Government funding to restore this Avenue will help Bacchus Marsh lift its profile as a tourism destination within the popular Daylesford and Macedon Ranges Region.
As many of you would understand, tourism is exceptionally important to rural and regional areas - it boosts trade and provides local jobs.
The Australian Government is pleased to support the work of local communities, like yours, who are working hard to improve the look and feel of their area, while preserving their history and heritage.
While the natural beauty of the Avenue can't be denied, it also has an important historical significance.
The trees that form this Avenue were planted some 91 years ago to commemorate the region's service and loss in World War I.
Almost every town that existed at that time has an obelisk - a stone memorial - commemorating their war dead.
Bacchus Marsh is different - it has a living memorial, planted by the community in remembrance of those who served or died in World War I.
The Avenue honours all soldiers - not just the officers - who enlisted and served from the Ballarat region.
One of those men was Lieutenant R.V. Moon, 58th Battalion.
On 12 May 1917, Lieutenant Moon, then 24, wrote his name forever in the annals of Australian military history on the Hindenburg Line in France, with gallantry recognised with the awarding of the Victoria Cross.
Lieutenant Moon's deeds of bravery were exceptional and are recorded in one of our Nation's iconic cultural tourism attractions - the Australian War Memorial, for all of us to consider and appreciate.
So many of the men who served in the Great War were not fortunate enough to have their stories told.
I hope the many visitors to this site reflect on this fact when they visit the Avenue of Honour and the trees we are working to save.
It is of course just one of a number of tourism infrastructure projects the Government is supporting.
As our tourism industry - and our wider economy - goes through this difficult period, the Government is investing in strategic infrastructure development to help the industry lay the foundations for the future.
And this is not just about big infrastructure spending - but also about investments in local communities.
Only last week - the Government announced the projects to be included in the $800 Community Infrastructure Program.
As many of you will already know - Ballarat's Eureka Centre for Democracy will receive $5 million under this important program.
These investments are about positioning infrastructure regionally to attract more visitors now and in the future.
The Government is also working hard to encourage Australians to take a local holiday - through the No Leave - No Life campaign.
I actually think it is a disgrace that we have 123 million days of accrued leave owed to Australians, which represents $33 billion dollars in wages.
We need to help employers better manage their workforce and reduce that liability and get it off the books - because as wages go up, so too does that liability.
The Australian Government is pleased to be able to support local tourism opportunities through projects such as this.
Because as we can see today, this work can do more than increase or promote tourism, it can save a national icon.
Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Australian Government, I am very pleased that we have been able to fund the restoration of this Avenue of Honour.
It is significant for the people of Bacchus Marsh and the Ballarat region, the veteran community and, more broadly, the Australian community.
I hope that the improvements we are funding will see more visitors appreciate the beauty and significance of this memorial.
I congratulate the local community for their continued passion for this project.
It is through your work that the extraordinary Australians the Avenue of Honour recognises will be remembered for generations to come ... And I thank you for the opportunity to visit this memorial for myself.