Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm pleased to speak on the Strategic Regional Growth Expert Panel's report, Australia's regions: investing in their future. The Strategic Regional Growth Expert Panel delivered its final report to the government in late March 2019. This was in response to the House of Representatives Select Committee on Regional Development and Decentralisation's report Regions at the ready. The expert panel made six recommendations to support and promote economic development in regional communities. A core theme of the expert panel's report was the importance of listening to regional voices in policy decisions and ensuring local priorities are identified and acted upon through effective planning and cooperation among all tiers of government. Therein lies a problem when the state and local councils do not fall into line and we can't get our act together. The expert panel's recommendations are thoughtful and decisive in their scope and continue to inform the government's policy deliberations with regard to regional Australia.

Australia—and, indeed, the world—is a very different place now from how it was when this report first came out. That is obvious. We've had droughts in the regions, we've had floods in the regions, we've had devastating bushfires and now we've got the global pandemic. These events have had profound impacts on our regional communities and have changed our way of life. For instance, because we have no backpackers, no immigration and no seasonal workers from the Pacific islands, we are very short of labour to pick our crops. As a result, this government still awaits the findings of a number of inquiries that are underway at this very point in time, and is looking at issues affecting regional Australia now before committing to any particular course of action.

This government is committed to supporting regional communities and building even stronger regional economies. Last year's budget was the best budget that regional Australia has ever had, and this year's budget builds on that record. In 2021-22, the budget continues to build a strong regional Australia through the extension of community grant programs which create jobs and build stronger regional communities. Funding will flow direct to the regions through these initiatives.

There is $250 million in the sixth round of the successful Building Better Regions Fund, or BBRF. The first four rounds funded 995 projects. I'll repeat that: the BBRF has funded 995 projects in the regions. The Australian government has brought forward approximately 50 per cent of the 2021-22 financial assistance grants, commonly known as FAG. This cash injection of more than $1.3 billion will give councils vital support to assist with the combined impacts of drought, fire, floods and COVID-19.

Building on the success of the Regional Connectivity Program, we've made a further commitment of $84.8 million. There's an additional $22.7 million for round 7 of the Stronger Communities Program, which will give grants of $2½ thousand up to $20,000. This supports small community organisations and local government for small capital projects in the electorate. They are very important to those clubs and community projects. They're very thankful to receive small or large amounts from this fund.

The Australian government will provide $5.7 million in funding to establish the Rebuilding Regional Communities Program. This is in partnership with the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal. This consists of grants to sustain local organisations which support the process of recovery in the government's $110 billion rollout of infrastructure programs over the next 10 years from 2021-22. That's over a billion dollars on inland roads and rail et cetera. It will support local jobs and invest in major pillars of the nation's world-leading economic recovery while delivering on our plan to create generation-defining infrastructure projects, delivering water security for inland Australia and meeting our national— (Time expired)

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