Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. I refer the minister to the government's failure last week in parliament to address the regional programs delay for local councils. Given it has been 10 months since the federal election and five months since the budget, how many grants to local councils and community groups have been formally assessed and approved from Labor's regional and community programs announced in the budget?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Barker will leave the chamber. I have been crystal clear about that sort of behaviour. When members are asking questions, they'll be heard in silence. The time to interject is when the minister is speaking, not when—

Honourable members interjecting—

I correct that record! Let's get on with it.

The member for Barker then left the chamber.

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member very much for his question. We inherited an absolute mess when it came to regional grants. If you remember, we got elected on a promise to clean up the rorts and pork-barrelling that categorised the regional grants program. When we came into government, we had the Building Better Regions Fund, which, of course, was subject to a substantial National Audit Office report, which found that there were significant flaws in the way the previous government made decisions. When we came to office, we found that not a single one of the proposals for round 6 of the Building Better Regions Fund had been assessed at all. So concerned were all of you about all of those programs that you asked specifically about it—

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance: it was a very specific question. How many grants to local councils and community groups have been formally assessed and approved from Labor's regional and community programs announced in the budget? That is very specific and, if the minister can't answer the question, she should admit that.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There was a little bit more before we got to that part, and I'm sure the minister is addressing that part of the question. I'll listen carefully for the remaining two minutes to make sure she addresses the specific project that you did request.

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, I am talking about the reason that, when we came to government, we had to clean up the appalling job that those opposite, particularly the National Party, did when it came to regional grants program. So I don't make any apologies about us taking some time to actually build integrity into the regional grants program, because we had, under the Community Development Grants Program, billions and billions of dollars, frankly, pork-barrelled into National Party and Liberal Party seats across this country. We are taking our time with the Growing Regions Program. The guidelines are currently before all of the stakeholders to look at to ensure that we are using the best possible processes that we can, and the announcement about the opening of those applications will be done shortly.

Again I remind the House that the reason we have had to do this and take our time is the terrible job those opposite did when it came to the regional grants program. Frankly, when it comes to things like the Community Development Grants Program, like the Building Better Regions Fund, they had no integrity when it came to the distribution of those grants, and I'm looking forward to putting in place an important program to fund our regions properly, fairly and transparently—something those opposite were incapable of doing. It absolutely shows why not a single one of them should occupy these benches ever again when it comes to integrity when it comes to grants.