Peter Georgiou (WA, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is directed to Senator Brandis. The Smart Cities Plan was launched last year as a blueprint to encourage jobs and growth across the nation. It set out the Australian government's vision for our cities, metropolitan and regional, and its commitment to smart investment, smart policy and smart technology. In July the government released the performance framework for the City Deals; however, I was disappointed to learn that only cities with populations of 85,000 or more were included. As a result, this effectively eliminates every country city in Western Australia. Does the federal government acknowledge that there are economically significant regional cities in Western Australia, such as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Greater Geraldton, Karratha and Port Hedland? If so, why are they not included in the performance framework?