Regional Australia
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7th September, 2013 Labor took the blowtorch to regional Australia. Until its last few weeks, Labor Cabinets only comprised ministers from capitals. Labor slashed regional development programs and shifted regional funding to the cities. (Their biggest ever ‘regional development’ project was roads around Perth airport). The Auditor General was a critic of Labor’s grants which were steered heavily to Labor and independent electorates. |
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12th February, 2013 Despite the Governments mining tax having collected only $126 million, the entire $1 billion for the Regional Development Australia Fund has already been appropriated from consolidated revenue (Senate Estimates) |
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19th October, 2012 The Department of Regional Development spent $4.5 million on voluntary redundancies for 68 staff last financial year and proposes 100 more staff cuts by June 2013 (APN) |
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16th October, 2012 The Sydney office of Infrastructure Australia is costing $1.1 million a year in rent for just 12 staff (Senate Estimates) |
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31st May, 2012 ANAO report says of 362 grant program guidelines studied, 68 did not obtain required approvals. 63% were not subject to competitve grant selection processes |
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30th May, 2012 Not one application was received for Labor's $10.9 million Promoting Regional Living Program designed to encourage people to move to regional areas. Senate Estimates was told the program was not advertised and no guidelines have been released (Fraser Coast Chronicle) |
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10th May, 2011 BUDGET 2011-12 113 extra public servants and $70 million in funding for Department of Regional Australia $350 million taken from Regional Development Australia fund for flood repair projects $100 million cut from the Building Better Regional Cities initiative Government confirms that the largest project to be funded from its $800 million Regional Development Fund will be more than $450 million for roads around the Perth Airport |
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28th January, 2011 ANAO reports that only 35 of 106 projects promised through Labor's Better Regions Program during the Kevin07 election campaign had been completed by 30-9-2010 Labor's pork barrelling was so poorly administered that one Adelaide Hills Council was offered $275,000 for the same Business Centre that had already received a similar grant from the Coalition Government 8 projects were funded that had been rejected by the previous Government as poor value for money, including an indoor sports centre at Dysart The ANAO report says the Rudd Government drew upn the guidelines for its Better Regions program six weeks after it had announced all of the successful projects during the election campaign $200,000 had been promised for a sports centre and skate park in Emerald, but the Government dropped the skate park when it was discovered that Emerald already had a skate park $7 million was promised to provide 400 car parking spaces at Gosford Railway Station but instead the money was used to buy a failed shopping centre (The Australian) Ipswich was promised $6.7 million for a pool and performing arts centre but instead the money was given to the Ipswich Cultural and Creativity Hub 62 percent of the Better Regions projects went to 13 percent of electorates being targeted by Labor. Despite claims that "the Government will consider whether your project will make efficient and effective use of public money as required by Commonwealth legislation" the ANAO said the Government did not |
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27th January, 2011 Government announces almost 50% cut to Priority Regional Infrastructure Fund ($350 million) Building Better Regional Cities program ($100 million). The PRIF was a key concession by the Government to win support of the Independents but the Independents remain silent |
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19th September, 2010 Gillard's new Cabinet is made up enitrely of people who live in capital cities The new Minister for Regional Australia comes from inner Melbourne (replacing the previous Minister who was from inner Sydney) |
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24th June, 2010 Kevin Rudd deposed as Prime Minister and replaced by Ms Julia Gillard |
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9th February, 2010 Stacked Federal Government Taskforce reports there is not sufficient available water in Northern Australia to permit food bowl development |
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4th February, 2010 Labor spends almost $1 million a year in rent on one of Sydney's most prestigious buildings for its new major cities unit |
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1st July, 2009 Labor abolishes Area Consultative Committees, closes all of their offices and terminates 150 staff |
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3rd June, 2008 The Government admits that only projects announced by Labor before the election will be funded by the Government's new $176 million Better Regions program. No local groups will be allowed to even apply for funding |
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28th May, 2008 Labor backs down and agrees to fund 108 of the projects it had previously rejected as Minister Albanese admits they were good projects |
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13th May, 2008 BUDGET Labor axes the Regional Partnerships program, leaving 494 projects unassessed and denying funding to 116 projects approved by the previous Government Labor closes the state offices of its Regional Development Department in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth but opens up a new Better Cities unit in Sydney The Sustainable Regions Program is axed |
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2nd March, 2008 Labor commits funding of $2.6 million for the Tree of Knowledge project in Barcaldine, even though the tree died in 2006 |
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2nd March, 2008 Labor has announced that will axe a range of special projects of national and regional significance including: $5 million for Alternative Water Strategy at Flemington Racecourse $10 million for the Rugby League Hall of Fame $25 million for the Australian National Rugby Academy $3 million Fraser Island World Heritage Interpretive Centre, Whale Watch Centre and Fishing Hall of Fame for Hervey Bay $6 million for the Townsville International Sports Centre |
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29th February, 2008 Labor threatens the future $163 million Australian Broadband Guarantee subsidy for people living in rural and remote areas |
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6th February, 2008 Labor abolishes the Coalition's $200 million Growing Regions program, designed to assist Councils and communities in fast growing areas with infrastructure |
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3rd December, 2007 Labor appoints Anthony Albanese from inner Sydney as Minister for Regional Development. Gary Gray from Perth is appointed as Parliamentary Secretary |
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29th November, 2007 Labor chooses Tony Burke, the Member of Parliament for the electorate with the least number of farmers, fishers and forresters in Australia as Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Anthony Albanese, another inner Sydney Member of Parliament, is appointed by Labor as Minister for Regional Development Only one Cabinet Minister does not come from a capital city (Joel Fitzgibbon of Newcastle) |
