Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—This government is committed to supporting regional Australia.

Today I am announcing one of the Australian government’s initiatives to help drive economic prosperity in regional Australia and deliver on our commitments that we made in the lead-up to the election.

One of our key regional election commitments was that area consultative committees (ACCs) would provide the basis for the creation of Regional Development Australia (RDA)

Consistent with this commitment, today the government announces that area consultative committees will transition to become local Regional Development Australia committees. As a first step, the ACC Chairs Reference Group will become the RDA Interim Board until 31 December 2008. I have spoken to the chair of that reference group today and he has very much welcomed this announcement, as have the ACC representatives who are here in the parliament for this debate.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Northern Australia, Gary Gray, and I will convene a meeting with the interim board to discuss the transition of the ACC network to RDA, including the development of a charter for Regional Development Australia and its proposed responsibilities. We shall also want to discuss with the interim board ways of ensuring closer ties with the local government sector. Regional Australia’s communities and economy will benefit from a closer relationship between the new Regional Development Australia and the local government sector.

The ACC network was established by the previous Labor government in 1994 under the Employment Services Act 1994. ACCs originally provided advice and generated support for labour market programs. Over time their role has evolved and recently their primary role has been to promote and identify projects and assist in the development of applications for the Regional Partnerships program.

There are 54 ACCs across Australia, which are not-for-profit, community based organisations. Hundreds of Australians give their time to serve their communities as members of area consultative committees. Only the chairs and their deputies are appointed by the government. Committee members are volunteers from all walks of life: businesspeople, farmers, retirees, local government representatives and educators. They are united by their commitment to their local communities. They are a valuable source of local knowledge and advice for government. Some have been more effective than others and there is a need to recognise that regional development requires a reform of existing advisory structures.

The new Regional Development Australia network will build on the success of its predecessor, but will take on a much broader role to develop strategic input into national programs to improve the coordination of regional development initiatives and to ensure that there is effective engagement with local communities. The Rudd government is committed to listening to communities and the Regional Development Australia organisations will assist that process.

The actual roles and responsibilities of Regional Development Australia will reflect our consultations. I am confident that the interim board will have ideas to present to the government. The role of individual RDAs and the network as a whole could provide advice to government on a range of issues. These include:

• advise on community infrastructure;
• advise on regional issues and opportunities;
• advise on local implementation of specific Commonwealth initiatives in the region, as requested;
• facilitate economic development planning and investment attraction;
• identify any unique local attributes that would favour the development of new and innovative industries;
• promote initiatives to retain and expand skills and local businesses and industries;
• disseminate information about Commonwealth programs;
• undertake ad hoc consultations on behalf of federal agencies where a regional network is required;
• advise on adequacy of service delivery in regions;
• build networks and relationships with other levels of government and key stakeholders in the region;
• advise government on social inclusion issues; and
• advise on ways to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and coordination of Commonwealth regional initiatives.

I am looking forward to working with Regional Development Australia and receiving valuable advice on the development needs of regional Australia. The time frame will of course conclude this year, which is why we are maintaining the existing interim board, and I am pleased the chair has committed to active participation in this.

To conclude, this government’s new vision for regional Australia is based on building partnerships to ensure the government is responsive to local priorities and needs, but is underpinned by major new investments in the areas of infrastructure, broadband, housing, health care, education, skills development, innovation and water.

The message to regional communities is clear—this government will work with you to make your solutions work. We will bring fresh ideas and a new approach which will harness the potential of our regions and develop them for a better future.

Today’s announcement relating to the establishment of Regional Development Australia is the first in a number of initiatives of the Rudd Labor government that we will make in terms of regional development.

We will strengthen and invest in the future of regional Australia.

I ask leave of the House to move a motion to enable the member for Calare to speak for 6½ minutes.

Leave granted.

I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent Mr Cobb speaking for a period not exceeding 6½ minutes.

Question agreed to.

John Cobb (Calare, National Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government for the opportunity to add comment on his government’s proposal to set up Regional Development Australia. I am particularly pleased that the government will be continuing the area consultative committees network, even though there is a name change—and governments do do name changes for various reasons. It should be pointed out that the ACC network has done an excellent job on the whole in working with the previous government—and I am sure it will with this one—on behalf of local regional communities. I personally cannot speak highly enough of the committed volunteers on the 54 boards throughout our country nor of their staff, who, in the case of my own electorate—which was Parkes and is now Calare—have done an outstanding job in working with the local community.

I am very concerned, as are many members on our side of the House, that the ACCs do not now go into hibernation whilst the interim arrangements and consultations are taking place. It is vital that their work continues. Members on this side of the House are hearing daily of critical Regional Partnerships projects—which have been developed and worked on by the ACCs, by the department and by the communities who proposed them—being held up. Nothing seems to have come through since the election. I must repeat that a lot of these projects are very much health related: medical centres, dental projects, houses for doctors in regional towns. They were essential. It became a project very centred on regional health. We are hearing so much about projects where nothing is happening. I do hope, and I ask the minister to ensure, that the time in which they have to wait for something to come through is as short as possible. I have heard the time frame that he has mentioned today. But there are a lot of these projects. If the funding is not there for projects in regional Australia—no matter how good the projects are—there is not very much for them to work with. Time, effort and in many cases significant funding have already been spent on the projects, and it would not be fair if this government were to keep people hanging for an answer whilst it does another review and another round of consultation.

The interim board of Regional Development Australia will consist of the ACCs’ current chairs reference group until December this year. I would urge the minister not to allow the board of Regional Development Australia after 2008 to become a gathering place for people with affiliations who would take the place of people who reflect the very vibrant, economically progressive nature of regional Australia. The people on those boards have very much reflected their communities.

The minister has outlined the type of advice that Regional Development Australia could provide to the government. Whilst I will not repeat it here, we would broadly support the minister on those endeavours, particularly when it comes to disseminating information about Commonwealth programs. That is particularly important, as members of the House can attest. Too often constituents only become aware of government programs after they have closed. It will be doubly important, given that the government has stated it will be slashing its advertising budget.

The minister’s message to regional communities is clear: ‘This government will work with you to make your solutions work on behalf of regional Australia.’ Given all the signals that the people who have been to see the parliamentary secretary and others are hearing about what is happening to the funding that has previously been put towards regional programs—such as cutting $145 million from the Growing Regions program—we are wondering what, if anything, the ACCs or the new bodies will have to do. I think it is very important not to keep regional Australia wondering what will be there in the future.

The Prime Minister and the minister have both told this House that every one of their pre-election commitments will be delivered. That being the case, I wonder how they are going to be able to do it. The Prime Minister has already made the statement that anything that is not backed by the department will not be overridden by the minister. Yet at the same time, as we heard in question time just the other day, they are going to deliver a program that was already knocked back by the department.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That’s not true.

John Cobb (Calare, National Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is true. How is it, then, given that the Prime Minister said the department is the final arbiter of Regional Partnerships, that the $2.6 million dead tree project at Barcaldine, which was already rejected by the minister’s department, will proceed?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It’s pronounced ‘Barcaldine’.

John Cobb (Calare, National Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Barcaldine—I should know; I worked near there once. I would also point out that the ministerial statement does not spell out whether Regional Development Australia will be involved in step 2 of the Prime Minister’s plan for Regional Partnerships approvals. The coalition support the broad intent of the government’s plan for Regional Development Australia, but we look forward to seeing the details and how much money there is going to be for regional Australia.