Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

I think it is absolutely essential that these funding initiatives are based on a needs basis and on proposals that stack up. We had to end that dreadful regional rorts program that the Howard government presided over: it funded the draining of the Tumby Creek, and it drained itself; it funded a cheese factory that was on the nose and went bust—

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