THE Nationals have warned Labor is "ripping the guts" out of regional Australia funding, as the government looks to cut spending in the upcoming October budget.
Labor has declared it is reviewing all financial commitments made by the Coalition government, with a particular focus on regional funding.
Nationals leader David Littleproud urged the government to reconsider its plans to slash funding, pointing out it was regional industries such as agriculture and resource sectors "paid the bills" when the pandemic forced many other businesses to shut down.
"What I'm concerned about is regional Australians will take it in the neck from this budget," Mr Littleproud said.
"We are the human toll of a Labor government. We're the ones that get three-fifths of bugger all when this mob gets in, we're the forgotten Australians."
Labor has often criticised much of the Coalition's regional spending as wasteful or pork barrelling - an accusation partially supported by an auditor-general report.
Coalition regional development spokesperson and Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie "completely and categorically rejects" the idea that spending money outside metro areas was wasteful.
"When the Labor Party frames up investing in our communities as waste, they are talking about social infrastructure that people in capital cities take for granted," Senator McKenzie said.
Nationals MP for Cowper Pat Conaghan said Labor was already "ripping the guts out of funding" for regional Australia, claiming $27.5 million had been pulled from a health campus at Southern Cross University within his electorate.
"It's hard enough to get an occupational therapist, a physiotherapist or a speech therapist.... and we know if you're trained in the regions, you stay in the regions," Mr Conaghan said.
"In question time, the minister refused to guarantee those services that the people in the cities can just pick up the phone and get an appointment."
Dawson MP Andrew Wilcox said Labor's so-called bread-and-butter budget would be a "slash-and-burn budget" to rural and regional Australians.
"I would like the Albanese government to explain to people what they've got against the regions? Why do they treat us with such disdain?" Mr Wilcox said.
"Everyone in the city is happy to eat our tucker and take our royalties. They should put the money back into rural and regional Australia. After all, that's where all the money is generated."
Regional Development Minister Catherine King emphasised the government's regional policy would be "collaborative", built on "partnerships" and "transparency", and vowed to redesign the rural grant programs, such as the Building Better Regions fund, to prevent pork barrelling.
"One of the things that's been missing from regional policy at a federal level for a long time is that we haven't actually had one," Ms King said.
Jamieson Murphy
Newcastle Herald news director and business reporter. Interested in any and all yarns. Whisper g'day mate to me at jamieson.murphy@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Newcastle Herald news director and business reporter. Interested in any and all yarns. Whisper g'day mate to me at jamieson.murphy@austcommunitymedia.com.au
