Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development. An Auditor-General's report published yesterday found 55 per cent of the grants earmarked for regional development over a four-year period were given to major cities. How can the minister claim the government is delivering for the regions when it is clearly not?

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question. In that Auditor-General's report, which I've been through, it says quite clearly that they don't stand by the integrity of the data. That is actually stated in it.

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes. It also states that it includes—

If you want to hear the answer, member for Grayndler, it also includes such things as the community grants scheme, which does not include regional areas. You must clearly understand, and I know you do, that it includes things such as—

Mr Speaker, he's such a comedian. It includes things such as the Royal Far West children's society, which is based in Manly. Are we going to say they aren't deserving of funds? It includes things such as Ronald McDonald House, which of course is proximate to where those children have to go for treatment. Are we going to argue against that? I understand the member for Eden-Monaro's question but, overwhelmingly, this does benefit people in regional areas.

I was looking at one case in the member for Flynn's electorate where we upgraded the water requirements for the small town of Biggenden. Only about 890 people live in Biggenden—it's a very small town. In that town, over $5 million was required to upgrade the water system. It is just not possible for a cost like that to be carried by the people of Biggenden unless they get the support of a government that looks to the corners of this nation. That's what things such as the Building Better Regions Fund does, and, because it does that, we have the capacity to help those small towns. We have the capacity to help towns such as—in my area—Werris Creek, a railway town, where, similarly, we had to upgrade the dams and the water facilities, which is what the Building Better Regions Fund and grants such as this do. I acknowledge that the administration of sections of that grant are done in the city and that certain grants, such as to Ronald McDonald House, are in the cities, but I hope the member for Eden-Monaro is not asking us to remove funding for such things as Ronald McDonald House.