Stephen Jones (Whitlam, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

I withdraw. The members opposite cannot make up their minds, so the people in regional Australia are having to suffer. The minister mentioned the Regional Growth Fund—$270 million was promised nearly 12 months ago. There are no guidelines and not a cent has flowed from this fund, because the members opposite, and particularly the National Party members opposite, cannot make up their minds. They are so distracted by their own internal intrigue and their own problems that they can't even issue guidelines to their own fund to ensure that the people of Australia can have their projects funded.

On the Regional Jobs and Investment Packages that the minister mentioned: $220 million worth of funds earmarked to kickstart jobs investment projects in regional Australia. Eight of the 10 projects have not yet even started, because these guys are so tied up with their own internal problems that they can't get around to the job that they're paid to do. He mentioned decentralisation—well, there is a fraud if ever Australians have seen one. They talk about decentralisation at the same time as they are axing public sector jobs from regional Australia. I present Townsville as one example, but we also know that it is happening in Tasmania, and I'm sure the Tasmanian representatives will talk about that. Jobs were cut from CSIRO, jobs were cut from the tax office and jobs were cut from the Department of Defence—40 from Townsville in the last week alone, and over 400 since this government came to power. The people of Australia know a fraud when they see one. As I said before, it is time for the Prime Minister to end the farce. The battle between the Hatfields and the McCoys has to stop. The people of regional Australia need something better than this. The Prime Minister needs to step in. The Deputy Prime Minister needs to be axed. If the National Party can't do it, the Prime Minister should. (Time expired)

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