Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Services, Local Communities and Territories) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for highlighting the project in her electorate recently funded under RDAF 3. Regional Development Australia Fund round 3 has been a very successful round. We took the opportunity after each round to review, to listen to stakeholders and to go out and talk to the RDA network about what was happening with that round. One of the things that we were fed back was that often it was difficult for small communities and small towns to compete against larger councils. So that round was specifically designed for towns under 30,000. I was really delighted to see that round fund some 79 projects right the way across the country and in some communities that are very disadvantaged and which would not previously have had the opportunity to apply for that funding of up to $500,000—many applications were smaller than that—and make a substantial difference across each of those rounds.

The member has also highlighted that this government's commitment to regional Australia is not just about RDAF. I know people often want to focus on that particular program, but it has been across all areas of government. There has been significant investment through the Building the Education Revolution, primarily focused on schools. A large proportion of that money has gone to schools in regional, rural and remote Australia, providing opportunities for small communities that have never, for example, had access to libraries before—because those facilities are opened up to community members. The BER provided libraries, electronic whiteboards, meeting spaces and sporting infrastructure for small regional and small rural communities across the country.

Our investment in health included the Regional Cancer Centres. There has been significant investment by this government in improving the terrible divide that occurs in this country between city people who are diagnosed with cancer and people who live in regional and rural Australia who are diagnosed with cancer.

We know the health outcomes and survival rates of people diagnosed with cancer in regional and rural Australia are some five years behind their metropolitan counterparts. We know that is not good enough. When you look across health, whether it is through GP super clinics, hospitals and health funds, which have seen investments in major health projects across the country but particularly in regional areas, right the way through to the regional integrated, that is very important and this government is very proud of them.

I also want to touch on the government's education reforms which we saw pass the House recently. Again I reiterate how incredibly important those reforms are because of the loading on the basis of size and locational disadvantage and what that means for regional students. I cannot overemphasise how critical that investment is to regional Australia. I think that the New South Wales National Party minister absolutely gets it. It is not something we often admit to but I know many regional MPs on this side of the House are very fond of members of the National Party. We share a lot in common in terms of the seats we represent. We do not often say that. I know many National Party members are of good heart and understand that the education reforms are a significant advantage to regional Australians and to many regional and rural schools.

I hope sense prevails across the country and that National Party members are listened to. In New South Wales, the National Party education minister absolutely gets it. This is critical. Our students in regional Australia are going to be left behind if we do not deal with this issue, if we do not put serious investment into our education system and increase funding on the basis of location and size. It is absolutely critical that we do so. The bills have now passed the House of Representatives. I certainly hope they pass the other place. What I absolutely hope is that the politics we have seen played out across the country is put aside—about not wanting, in someone's political spin doctoring mind, to give the government an advantage if Gonski gets through, that we cannot possibly allow them a win. I hope that sort of commentary, which we are seeing from Liberal and National Party coalition governments in some states, is put aside and that we see increases in funding to regional students. There are some $6 billion that regional and rural schools will benefit from; under the opposition's policy $16 billion will be cut. I hope the Nationals see sense on this.

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