Rudd Labor’s embarrassing backflip on Regional Partnerships
28th May, 2008
In the biggest backflip seen since the election, the Federal Labor Government has now decided to fund 86 of 116 previously approved Regional Partnerships projects.While this is very welcome news for the communities around Australia who will now benefit from funding originally approved by the Coalition Government last year, the frightening incompetence of Rudd Labor is on display for every Australian to see.
The Leader of The Nationals, Warren Truss, said Labor had spent the past six months vilifying the former government over Regional Partnerships, and the local communities involved in getting these vital projects off the ground.
“The very local community organisations that Labor has been accusing of rorting are at last to be funded,” said Mr Truss.
“This extraordinary decision announced today by the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Anthony Albanese, leaves him permanently damaged as a minister,” Mr Truss said.
“Let’s look at the history of this Labor shambles. Before the election, Labor said they would keep Regional Partnerships.
“After the election, Labor said the 116 projects approved and announced but not contracted would be re-examined. It is obvious that this review never occurred, and the Minister admitted on national television last week that he had not even read the files.
“Then in the Budget, Labor said the entire program was scrapped and none of the 116 would get any money. Another 494 projects waiting to be assessed were also left in the cold.
“The week after the Budget, under intense Coalition and media pressure, Mr Albanese made a late night phone call to Sunrise program host David Koch, saying ‘he didn’t realise how many community groups were affected’. He offered to look at the 116 again – even though he had promised to do this months earlier.
“Today we have the announcement that 86 have made the Minister’s cut, although we don’t know which projects and why. Mr Albanese has continued to attack the Coalition and the program, yet his decision today makes clear that the Coalition was right and Regional Partnerships was a good program supporting good projects.
“This is one of the most embarrassing political spectacles I have ever seen. Mr Albanese and a number of his colleagues have spent much of their time in Parliament this year making fun of the little projects that have meant so much to communities around Australia. It was a heartless and economically illiterate approach, and they have been left with egg on their respective faces.
“I welcome the fact that Labor has finally seen sense, even if it is six months later than it should have been. Many of these projects have suffered badly, with communities forced to make up the funding shortfall.
“Mr Albanese must immediately release the lists of winners and losers, and provide detailed explanations as to why he has made these decisions. Funding should also be topped up to cover increased costs incurred by communities through the unnecessary six month delay.
“Labor let its own political biases get in the way of good policy. They are funding over $174 million of their own projects – none of which have been through an approval process.
“Labor felt it could attack the Coalition by rubbishing Regional Partnerships, but the people have triumphed. Labor and especially Mr Albanese look uncaring, incompetent and mean,” Mr Truss said.
