VICTORIAN Treasurer John Lenders rolled out a great big pork barrel this week with a massive investment in regional Victoria's Labor-held seats.

Not that anyone in the electorates surrounding Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong would complain.

• Rule's View
  

But if you're sitting in an electorate well beyond the bounds of these three regional cities, you may be wondering what's in the 2010 Budget for you.

The answer is "not much".

The fact is Mr Lenders and his boss, Premier John Brumby, know they have to secure 11 key regional Labor-held seats that fall within the arc of these regional cities to regain government on November 27.

Communities outside the arc and in the state's east will have to wait until John Brumby fires the second shot in his regional election campaign, with the launch in early June of his Blueprint for Regional Growth.

John Brumby rebuilt the Labor Party on the back of regional Victoria, a fact he cannot afford to forget.

In the dark days of 1992, Labor held just two regional seats.

By 1996, Labor had won Bendigo West and missed out on winning Bendigo East by just 13 votes.

By 1999, Labor took six more regional seats out of Liberal hands and won government with the support of three independents.

In 2002, Brumby consolidated Labor's power base in regional Victoria by taking another four regional and peri-urban seats off the Liberals.

It means the Coalition's Liberals face a major battle to win back these seats at the November 27 election.

John Brumby will do all he can to protect them.

Anyone who doubts Brumby's determination should take a long hard look at the long lists of Labor Government investments in its 11 regional seats of power.

As Treasurer, Mr Brumby held the purse strings when Labor got into power in 1999.

As Minister for Regional and Rural Development, he established Regional Development Victoria to oversee a raft of regional projects and spent an enormous amount of time in regional electorates.

Brumby's commitment to regional Victoria can be seen in the $500 million promised to the Regional Infrastructure Development Fund, fast rail, natural gas network extensions, highway, freeway, school and hospital upgrades.

It's an investment that Brumby and his regional ministers hope will deliver them another term in government.