Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Scullion for the question. This is a question that goes to the government’s Caring for our Country arrangements. I make the point that I have made in previous answers to previous questions on this: the government has committed $2.25 billion under the Caring for our Country initiative, and we have done so consistent with the election commitments we made. It is very interesting that the opposition seek to play politics with these issues. As I reminded them on the last occasion, the previous government had already decided not to continue funding of organisations in the national action plan after 30 June 2008—in other words, the opposition are seeking to play a bit of politics in relation to a program they were going to cut. There was no funding in the forward estimates for that particular plan, so let us be clear: the previous government had already decided not to continue funding for the national action plan after 30 June this year.

Under Caring for our Country there will be increased opportunities for a wider range of organisations to bid for funds through public calls. If you look at what this government has committed through Caring for our Country, through open grants, through Community Coastcare, through the National Reserve System, through Working on Country and the range of election commitments, including $30 million per annum to implement Reef Rescue, what is clear is that regions will potentially be able to access $30 million to $55 million more in funding than they could under the previous government’s program.