Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker, Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to address issues around local government as part of my portfolio responsibility. As we all know, this year has been a particularly difficult time right across Australia with the coronavirus pandemic. As the federal government has done in the past with regard to drought or bushfires, we have partnered with local government to enable the federal stimulus to get into each and every community.

Local government are a very effective partner for the federal government. Through the local roads and community infrastructure fund, which is now $1½ billion, we are seeing projects being rolled out right across the country. Since only May this year, 2,335 projects have been approved. Over $187 million has already been paid to local governments. That was the idea of this proposal. It was to get the money out the door and into projects that were going to employ local people, provide employment in communities that were doing it particularly tough, but also leave behind legacy infrastructure projects that would serve those communities well beyond the current pandemic. As well as that, this year has seen the highest number of federal assistance grants that the Commonwealth has ever paid to local government, with $2.6 billion going to local government. On top of that, a $1.3 billion prepayment was made in May, which will obviously help councils with the extra cash flow that they need.

With regard to the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, I've been on the road and I've managed to see some great projects on the north coast, in Cowper and Page. I've seen some great ones in Calare, in the minister's electorate as well. But I'd like to—

See this speech in context