Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories. I refer the minister to her failure in parliament last week to address regional program delays for local councils. Given it has been 10 months since the federal election and five months since the budget, when will councils receive guidelines for the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program so they can plan for critical road upgrades?

Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much to the member opposite for the question. It's so great to see members of the LNP on the road to Damascus about guidelines. We know it wasn't a big priority for them previously, but it is great to see that they're interested in guidelines now.

Five months ago, we announced our budget. Local roads and community infrastructure is a huge part of that budget, and we know how important it is to local councils. It is an untied grant fund that allows them to deal with community priorities. What we are doing on this side of the House is engaging directly with local councils, local government organisations and associations. For the first time ever, we are talking directly with them about the things that matter most to them—consulting with our trusted delivery partners in local councils.

So far in the 10 months I've held this role, I've met with nearly 200 local councils. All 200 of them have told me of the importance of untied grant funding. All 200 of them have told me that they've spent time and money putting in applications to previous grant funds that were never assessed on their merits by those opposite. In contrast—

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, a point of order on relevance: the question is very specific and was asking for a time line for when they will receive those guidelines. The minister failed last week, and we're giving her another chance. It now gets to a point in time.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It doesn't quite work that way. Resume your seat. I'll hear from the Leader of the House.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was rising to object to the add-ons at the end. The question itself refers to local government grants that the minister is talking about.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister is being relevant because she is referring—

An honourable member interjecting—

Yes, I'm aware that that was part of the question, but what you asked was a broad question. And she is referring to the programs. You might not like the answer, but she is being directly relevant because you asked a question about that program, and she is referring to it. If she's not, I'll bring her back into line. I give her the call.

Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Coming back to the answer, if you would care to listen, I'm telling you that we are consulting with local governments. You failed to do it. We are doing it. We are talking directly to them, and we will continue to do that because local governments are a trusted delivery partner. We brought them back to the table of National Cabinet. We're listening to them. We are implementing the Australian Council of Local Government after you got rid of it, after a decade where you failed to understand they are the critical delivery partner across the nation—546 of them. And perhaps if you took any care at all in your communities and backed their local ideas and understood how they deliver for us you would be interested in engaging with them too.