❓ Mr. Murray questions the Minister for Regional Development about cuts to the Country Local Government Fund and alleged bias in grant allocation. The Minister defends the funding decisions, citing past investments and redirection of funds to health, while accusing the opposition of hypocrisy.
AnsweredQoN 416Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
COUNTRY LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUND
416. Mr M.P. MURRAY to the Minister for Regional Development:
My question is to the minister who giveth with one hand and
taketh with the other hand, the Minister for Regional Development. I refer to
the decimation of the country local government fund in this year's
budget, the funding for which will drop from about $100 million a year to only
$9 million in 2016–17.
(1) How will
regional councils now be able to build or update their neglected infrastructure
with the majority of this fund wrenched away?
(2) How does the
minister explain that 89 per cent of the country local government fund grants
went to National Party electorates in the six months before the last election?
416. Mr M.P. MURRAY to the Minister for Regional Development:
My question is to the minister who giveth with one hand and
taketh with the other hand, the Minister for Regional Development. I refer to
the decimation of the country local government fund in this year's
budget, the funding for which will drop from about $100 million a year to only
$9 million in 2016–17.
(1) How will
regional councils now be able to build or update their neglected infrastructure
with the majority of this fund wrenched away?
(2) How does the
minister explain that 89 per cent of the country local government fund grants
went to National Party electorates in the six months before the last election?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) The
reason that all the funding went to the National electorates is that the National
Party won them all. That is essentially why all the funding goes to those
electorates.
I am happy to talk about the
country local government fund. Since 2008–09, $320 million has been
invested in the country local government fund, under which 1 500 individual
local government projects and over 100 strategic regional group projects were
supported. This funding allowed local shires to catch up with projects needed
to improve their amenities and infrastructure in regional towns and helped to
revitalise regional communities. The country local government fund will receive
$34.5 million in this year's budget and $29 million for regional
groupings and local governments.
Mr D.A. Templeman interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Mandurah.
Mr
B.J. GRYLLS : These funds will be available through the course of this
financial year and the following financial year. The decision of the Liberal–National
government was to bring that fund to a close. It has $320 million in funds and
it has funded 1 500 projects.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Mr
B.J. GRYLLS : It has funded 1 500 projects and it has completely revitalised
almost every single town in regional Western Australia, and it is a project I
am proud of.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Order, members!
Mr
B.J. GRYLLS : Mr Speaker, the mock indignation of those opposite is
absolutely spectacular.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Order! Minister, please sit down. I call the member for Mandurah to order for
the first time. Will the minister please get on with his answer?
Mr B.J. GRYLLS :
The Leader of the Opposition is on the record in Hansard of 21 September 2010, which states —
All I say to members opposite is
that all opportunity costs. Every dollar the government spends on a pound —
That was referring to a dog pound in Northam —
cannot be spent on health and
every dollar that the government spends on a new bar for the Moora Recreation
Centre —
Mr P.B. Watson :
Sixteen per cent.
The SPEAKER :
Order! I call the member for Albany to order for the first time.
Mr B.J. GRYLLS :
The Leader of the Opposition stated —
Every dollar that the government
spends on a pound cannot be spent on health and every dollar that the
government spends on a new bar for the Moora Recreation Centre cannot be spent
on providing additional doctors.
That is what the member for Rockingham said when he was Deputy
Leader of the Opposition. The Liberal–National government in this
budget has decided to redirect that money into health and additional doctors.
The then Deputy Leader of the Opposition said in the same debate —
This government is spending
precious royalties for regions money into electorates and into the country
local government fund when country hospitals are crying out for resources.
The Liberal–National government in this budget has
decided to allocate that money to country hospitals.
The shadow Treasurer, off the back of the mock indignation
from the member for Collie–Preston, on 7 June 2009 said —
... $166 million allocated for a
Roe Highway extension would not be in the Budget under Labor and a $400 million
allocation to the Country Local Government Fund would also not be there.
Members opposite campaigned to scrap
the fund and now stand up complaining that the funds have been redirected to
the areas that are a priority of the Liberal–National government.
Members opposite have no credibility; they are an embarrassment to regional WA.
The Liberal–National government stands on its record.
Mr
D.A. Templeman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member
for Mandurah, I call you to order for the second time. Can you wind up please,
minister? Have you finished?
Mr B.J. GRYLLS :
Yes.
reason that all the funding went to the National electorates is that the National
Party won them all. That is essentially why all the funding goes to those
electorates.
I am happy to talk about the
country local government fund. Since 2008–09, $320 million has been
invested in the country local government fund, under which 1 500 individual
local government projects and over 100 strategic regional group projects were
supported. This funding allowed local shires to catch up with projects needed
to improve their amenities and infrastructure in regional towns and helped to
revitalise regional communities. The country local government fund will receive
$34.5 million in this year's budget and $29 million for regional
groupings and local governments.
Mr D.A. Templeman interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Mandurah.
Mr
B.J. GRYLLS : These funds will be available through the course of this
financial year and the following financial year. The decision of the Liberal–National
government was to bring that fund to a close. It has $320 million in funds and
it has funded 1 500 projects.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Mr
B.J. GRYLLS : It has funded 1 500 projects and it has completely revitalised
almost every single town in regional Western Australia, and it is a project I
am proud of.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Order, members!
Mr
B.J. GRYLLS : Mr Speaker, the mock indignation of those opposite is
absolutely spectacular.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Order! Minister, please sit down. I call the member for Mandurah to order for
the first time. Will the minister please get on with his answer?
Mr B.J. GRYLLS :
The Leader of the Opposition is on the record in Hansard of 21 September 2010, which states —
All I say to members opposite is
that all opportunity costs. Every dollar the government spends on a pound —
That was referring to a dog pound in Northam —
cannot be spent on health and
every dollar that the government spends on a new bar for the Moora Recreation
Centre —
Mr P.B. Watson :
Sixteen per cent.
The SPEAKER :
Order! I call the member for Albany to order for the first time.
Mr B.J. GRYLLS :
The Leader of the Opposition stated —
Every dollar that the government
spends on a pound cannot be spent on health and every dollar that the
government spends on a new bar for the Moora Recreation Centre cannot be spent
on providing additional doctors.
That is what the member for Rockingham said when he was Deputy
Leader of the Opposition. The Liberal–National government in this
budget has decided to redirect that money into health and additional doctors.
The then Deputy Leader of the Opposition said in the same debate —
This government is spending
precious royalties for regions money into electorates and into the country
local government fund when country hospitals are crying out for resources.
The Liberal–National government in this budget has
decided to allocate that money to country hospitals.
The shadow Treasurer, off the back of the mock indignation
from the member for Collie–Preston, on 7 June 2009 said —
... $166 million allocated for a
Roe Highway extension would not be in the Budget under Labor and a $400 million
allocation to the Country Local Government Fund would also not be there.
Members opposite campaigned to scrap
the fund and now stand up complaining that the funds have been redirected to
the areas that are a priority of the Liberal–National government.
Members opposite have no credibility; they are an embarrassment to regional WA.
The Liberal–National government stands on its record.
Mr
D.A. Templeman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member
for Mandurah, I call you to order for the second time. Can you wind up please,
minister? Have you finished?
Mr B.J. GRYLLS :
Yes.
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