Sam Birrell (Nicholls, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the important issue of regional funding. Australian governments have a fine tradition of investing in the regions, often partnering with state and local governments to deliver. That's the way it works best. The coalition did it when last in government. I saw it because I'd been a member of that community for a long time. Here are a couple of examples.

The Shepparton regional rail project had $320 million from the then-coalition government and a top-up of $11 million after that to help get stages 1, 2 and 3 of the Regional Rail Revival going. What that does is get us from just four return services between Melbourne and Shepparton to nine return services between Melbourne and Shepparton. It's a great partnership between the Victorian government and the federal government, with the federal government coming to stage 3 with 80 per cent of the funding, $320 million. The only problem is that the Victorian government promised to complete it by the end of 2023. I believe we're at the start of 2026, and we're still waiting to see it, but I'm hoping.

Another is the Shepparton Foodshare. Shepparton Foodshare is a great organisation. It's a secure base to distribute around 390,000 kilograms of food each year to more than 100 registered emergency relief agencies, schools and other organisations. There's great contribution from the Victorian government and $600 million from the coalition government.

The Echuca-Moama bridge has changed lives and changed the economy in the cross-border town of Echuca-Moama. It's a $323 million project, jointly funded by the Australian, Victorian and New South Wales governments. The Australian government contribution was $125 million.

Joint funding is critical to getting projects built, but, tragically, the Albanese government is letting regional Australia down. The projects that need their support keep piling up. I'll give an example of some of them. The Kilmore Bypass and link road upgrades desperately need funding. I made a $20 million commitment to the Shepparton Sports Stadium before the last election. The community desperately needs it; it's the missing link in the Shepparton sports precinct and the tourism and visitor economy strategy, but there's been no money forthcoming from the Albanese government. There's also the Yarrawonga-Mulwala bridge. There are many more, big and small.

The problem we have when we're looking for funding for these critical regional projects is that the cupboard seems to be bare. Labor has scrapped important regional programs established by the coalition. I'm disappointed that that's happened, but they've established their own programs. Okay, well, that's good. But you've got to keep putting money into them. Labor said that the Growing Regions fund and others would meet the needs of regional Australia. But Growing Regions has been left with no money in the pot after the last budget. In fact, Labor's fourth federal budget had no funding for the Stronger Communities Program, the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, the Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program or the Growing Regions Program. Those opposite like to crow about having lots of regional members in this place, but why aren't they standing up for regional Australia? It's one thing to announce a great-sounding program like Growing Regions or Stronger Communities, but someone's got to get up in budget time and actually put some money and some guidelines together and say, 'Here is a place regional communities can apply to have their critical infrastructure funded.'

As I said, the cupboard is bare, and it's just not fair for regional communities that deserve their regional funding. I'm so pleased that, just as I've got going with this, the member for Riverina walked into the chamber, because that Shepparton rail project, critical for the people of Shepparton and their ability to commute between Melbourne and Shepparton, was unfunded and a dream for the people of Shepparton until the member for Riverina, when he was the Deputy Prime Minister, stood over there and said, 'Here is 80 per cent of that funding—$320 million—to make that a reality.' The Victorian government being the Victorian government, it's taken three years longer than they said it would and they needed a bit of a top-up—but it is coming, and that's what governments that care about regions can do. They make sure that what happens in this place is fair for everyone—not just metropolitan communities, not just large cities outside metropolitan cities such as Geelong and Wollongong, which are great places. The Albanese government needs to look after those of us who live out in the regions. Be fair.

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