Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about the importance of regional infrastructure funding and the fact that the Abbott government have slashed regional funding, particularly through their very cruel cuts to the Regional Development Australia Fund, RDAF, round 5. The Regional Development Australia Fund was a fantastic initiative for regional communities such as my electorate of Richmond to gain access to much-needed funding for vital projects of significance and infrastructure. RDAF was set up by the previous Labor government to fix the years of neglect of regional communities due to the Howard government's lack of funding.

The funding under round 5 of RDAF gave great opportunities for regional communities to address many of the challenges of growth whilst also providing economic activity and job creation. Unfortunately the Abbott government does not share my community's enthusiasm for the funding available to their area through RDAF round 5. That is why the Prime Minister—who quite ironically dubs himself the Prime Minister for infrastructure—callously froze and cut the funding for many ongoing and promised projects. The most disappointing part of that is the fact that the National Party just sat back whilst all this all happened—not mentioning a word about these cuts, not fighting once for regional Australia and what these RDAF round 5 cuts meant to those people in regional Australia. But we all know the National Party long ago sold out regional Australia—and they should hang their heads in shame now.

Many local government areas in my electorate would have benefited from these projects through round 5. One example is the more than $149,681 worth of funding for Byron Shire Council for a fantastic cycle track that would have been located at the Byron Regional Sport and Cultural Complex centre. This was a shovel ready initiative that cannot go ahead now that funding has been pulled. Also, Tweed Shire Council had a fantastic project that would have boosted jobs, productivity and business in an area where Tweed Heads really needs it. Under this program the Tweed Shire Council would have received more than $613,000 to fund the rejuvenation of the Tweed Central Business District. This project was desperately needed for the Tweed Heads CBD area. It is currently very run down and in need of a major facelift.

This money was allocated for the street-scaping of Bay Street and primarily consisted of an upgrade of two sites to complement the earlier streetscape work undertaken on Wharf and Bay streets. The project would have involved planting more trees and beautifying existing pedestrian routes and outdoor dining options, which would have complemented some of the development at Coolangatta, just over the border. So it would have meant a lot to the Tweed Heads CBD. Unfortunately, the council have been forced to come up with the funding themselves. This really is an appalling situation. They had entered into a contract with the government in good faith and, when it came time to cash in, the Prime Minister and the National Party just tore up the cheque and said, 'No, you can't have it.' So, because of the short-sightedness of this Liberal-National government, Tweed ratepayers now have to pick up the tab for this really fantastic project for our area. It is very disappointing to have that funding cut put in place. I question the government on their priorities when they now force struggling councils to pay for such important infrastructure projects. These projects would have brought with them great infrastructure improvements and economic growth.

Compare this with the previous government, the Labor government. In my electorate we invested more than $1.5 billion, which included the single biggest ever infrastructure project on the North Coast—the Tintenbar to Ewingsdale Pacific Highway upgrade which is currently underway. We invested this massive amount because we knew the value of regional communities and we knew the value of investing in infrastructure projects, particularly the Pacific Highway upgrade but great community projects as well—our community centres, our school projects, the GP superclinic at South Tweed. There was a massive array of infrastructure investments that have made a very big difference to our community.

What is really concerning today—this really reflects how little the Liberal-National Party care about regional Australia—is that the Abbott government has announced that the MyRegion website will be shut down next week. This website was a very useful tool for people in regions right across the country. I think that the shutting down of this website really puts into question how much the Prime Minister, Mr Warren Truss and all of the National Party value regional Australia. Obviously it is not too much, because they have proven that they are not prepared to listen to regional Australia and work cooperatively to get the best outcomes for their communities.

My concern is we have those cuts to RDAF 5 and now we have cuts to this really important MyRegion website. Is this the start of more cuts to come across regional Australia? People are very, very concerned, because the fact is: investment in regional Australia creates and supports thousands and thousands of jobs, and it also creates vital infrastructure for our future.

I think the move today to shut down this website, which is really appalling, does really reflect the fact that the coalition government just do not value or understand how important it is to have that investment in our regions. It is particularly appalling that the National Party are not only sitting back but also allowing and pushing this along and making it happen. It shows that the National Party do not value regional Australia and cannot represent the interests of regional Australia.