“Two days after the Federal Budget wiped $2.1b from spending in rural areas the Albanese Government sneakily slipped through its ‘signature’ infrastructure spending policy for the bush, cutting $100m in promised funding,” Ms Ley said.
“$300m was committed under the first round of the Growing Regions Program. On Thursday Minister Catherine King announced just $200m to deliver only 40 projects,” Ms Ley said.
“Compare this to the last round of the Coalition’s BBRF policy, where seven projects in Farrer received a total of over $5m out of $300m committed nationally to 298 recipients.
“I know of some fabulous applications from Leeton, Wentworth, Hay, Darlington Point, Moama, Berrigan and Mulwala, which were depending on this revised Labor program to help deliver much-needed projects in their community.
“The Albanese Government’s inability to manage the economy, while redirecting so much funding to their urban priorities, means we’ve ended up with donuts!
“There are some very disappointed councils and local organisations in Farrer right now.”
Ms Ley also said that Labor policy has seen mobile phone blackspot funding vanish, an end to the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, the dedicated Agriculture Visa torn up and destroyed bipartisanship on the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
“When the Prime Minister was elected two years ago, he said, ‘No one would be left behind’.
“It’s now obvious he didn’t mean the 30% of Australians who live and work in regional Australia.”
