Andrew Gee (Calare, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To the Prime Minister: tomorrow Eugowra and the communities of the Central West will mark the first anniversary of the awful storm and flood tragedy of 13 and 14 November 2022. While our communities are grateful for the $100 million joint state and federal funding package, which was finally announced last week, we need assurances that this funding will be made available to residents on the ground on the double. Prime Minister, will you give our communities this assurance?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Calare for his question. I certainly will give the member for Calare's community, through him, that assurance. I thank him for the representations he's made on behalf of that community and for the fact that I was able to visit that community in Eugowra along with the then Premier, Dominic Perrottet.

We've worked through, with the Minns government in New South Wales, support for the Central West region. We have promised funding through the Central West Recovery and Resilience Package, jointly funded by the Commonwealth and New South Wales governments. It comprises $32 million for the Regional Transport Resilience Fund, $25 million for the Community Assets Program, $1 million for legal aid assistance and $2 million for the Central West Housing Consultation Program. We have in-principle agreement, in addition to that, for $40 million for the Central West housing program. This funding is to help the New South Wales Central West region's recovery from these devastating floods but also, importantly, to build resilience for the future.

I remember sitting in rooms some years ago, before the former Labor government changed the rules, where you weren't allowed to build back better, and that makes no sense at all. It makes sense to actually take into account when a national disaster occurs, and that's why we have that funding for the Regional Transport Resilience Fund, which is aimed at how we build roads that don't just get washed away and therefore isolate communities in the future. This package includes support for the repair and replacement of critical community assets, improving the resilience of public infrastructure, as well as legal assistance. We've also got that in-principle support to match funding for a resilient housing program for the Central West. These are important projects which will be overseen by a forum of community leaders and reps from both Commonwealth and state governments. I know that the mayor there is a fine fellow, and he will be involved as well.

We are prioritising the most impacted local government areas of Cabonne, Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan. I know this impacts on the member for Riverina's electorate as well, and I thank him for the representations that he's made. My government is determined to make sure that people aren't left behind in those communities, and that's why we've acted in partnership with the New South Wales government.