Tracey Roberts (Pearce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak against the motion moved by the member for Gippsland. In doing so I'm trying not to choke on the hypocrisy of this motion, as it appears the member is trying to claim that future years of the Stronger Communities Program have not been funded, when his own government failed to fund the round announced in March 2022. This is a program that has been traditionally funded year on year, and it is ridiculous for the coalition government to claim they did not do the same.

Before I move on, let's not forget the fallout from the Building Better Regions Fund program. The Australian National Audit Office found that the former government not only actively ignored Commonwealth grants guidelines but tried to get around them, and they did so at the expense of regional seats—not only Labor seats but also regional seats held by Liberal and Independent members. It looked like coalition ministers made decisions on projects based on an adventure of their own making, and, as a result, projects on the merit list were ignored and 65 per cent of the projects in the infrastructure stream, which made up almost all the billion dollars, were not the ones assessed by the department as having the most merit. The Liberals and Nationals announced round 8 of stronger communities in the March budget but failed to pass their budget before calling an election, meaning the program was another unfunded promise. As usual, big on announcements—but no delivery.

Let us put some facts on the table. The Albanese Labor government delivered the funding for round 8 of the program in the October budget of 2022 and rolled the program out across 2023. The program allocated $22.7 million to support community organisations and councils to deliver much-needed local projects. Funding of between $2½ thousand and $20,000 was available for not-for-profit community organisations and local governments to fund small capital projects that deliver social benefits and boost local community participation, including small-scale infrastructure upgrades, fit outs and equipment purchases. Each federal electorate received a capped amount of $150,000 to fund up to 20 local projects.

The Albanese Labor government has committed $200 million over two years, commencing in 2024-25, to establish the new Thriving Suburbs Program to deliver investment in locally driven urban and suburban infrastructure and community projects. The program will help address priority community infrastructure by providing access to funding for capital works and for community and economic infrastructure that enhances liveability and prosperity in urban and suburban communities. The program will be open and competitive, with grants awarded on a merit basis.

The Australian government's $400 million Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program is now open for applications. The rPPP seeks to support investment in regional, rural and remote Australia based on the principles of unifying regional places, growing economies and serving communities. The government has also committed $150 million over three years, commencing in 2024-25, for the Urban Precincts and Partnerships Program that will support investment in urban Australia based on the same principles. And let us not forget that the government secured $500 million for the Housing Support Program to help local communities with the urgent task of housing delivery. The regions have not been overlooked, with the Albanese government's new $600 million Growing Regions Program, which opened for expressions of interest in July. This provides grants of between $500,000 and $15 million to local government entities and not-for-profit organisations for capital works projects that deliver community and economic infrastructure projects right across regional and rural Australia.

So, overall, when it comes to grants, what is in and what is out? In—great programs, like the Growing Regions Program, with proper guidelines and processes. What is out? Ignoring guidelines and proper processes in favour of pork-barrelling the scheme for their own electoral advantage, as undertaken by the Liberals and Nationals previously. It is nonsense to suggest that the Albanese government has failed to provide funding for important local government community projects. In fact, just the opposite is true. We are committed to supporting our local councils and communities and to delivering grant programs that are fair and transparent.

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