TONY PASIN MP
MEMBER FOR BARKER
ASSISTANT SHADOW MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORT
MEDIA RELEASE
LABOR STARVES REGIONS OF FUNDS
The Albanese Labor Government continues to starve regional Australia of much needed economic development funding with its failure to deliver on grants programs promised to the regions.
Member for Barker, Tony Pasin MP said communities in Barker are suffering from a Federal Government funding drought due to Labor’s failure to allocate grants for much needed community infrastructure projects.
“The Labor Government in Canberra has imposed a two year funding drought on regional communities as a result of the Prime Minister’s decisions to abolish programs designed to strengthen rural and regional Australia and his failure to deliver funding initiatives of their own,” Mr Pasin said.
“Albanese’s Ministers are sitting on grant funding, refusing to part with money promised for the regions, choosing instead to hoard the cash to prop up the budget surplus in Canberra.”
Mr Pasin said numerous organisations across Barker had worked hard to develop proposals for Commonwealth funding but had been left waiting for months to hear the outcome of their application.
After more than 9 months since Labor opened the ‘Growing Regions Program’, not one application has been approved and funded.
“Whether it’s the Mount Gambier Saleyards redevelopment, Don Mosley Park upgrades in Keith, Loxton District Children’s Centre expansion, Calperum Connect, Bordertown Speedway Clubrooms or a Riverfront Play Precinct in Murray Bridge, a lot of work has gone into preparing some fantastic proposals across Barker and its simply insulting that project proponents have now been more than 250 days for an outcome.”
“Many councils are trying to finalise their budgets for the next financial year and do not know if they will be investing in planned projects or have them thrown on the scrap heap by the Prime Minister.”
“The Albanese Government is starving the regions of funding and while he does, construction costs continue to rise meaning the goal posts are continually shifting for much needed community projects,” Mr Pasin said.
Over Labor’s first two years in office they have stripped more than $20 billion in infrastructure and programs from regional communities including the Building Better Regions Fund, Community Development Grants, Regionalisation Fund, Roads of Strategic Importance Program and the Stronger Communities Program and the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program just to name a few,” Mr Pasin said.
Media Contact: Charlotte Edmunds | Ph 8724 7730
