Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories. How is the Albanese Labor government working with local government to help our regions thrive? How does this compare to other approaches?

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

I thank the member for Bendigo for her question. She is an incredible advocate for regional communities, and I've seen that first-hand during my visits to her electorate. The Albanese Labor government supports a strong and sustainable local government sector because we know the important role that local government plays in helping communities to thrive. That's why, in this budget, we have committed over $3.6 billion for local government through the Financial Assistance Grant. That's an increase of over five per cent from the 2025-26 budget, where the amount was $3.4 billion. How does that compare to other approaches? Those opposite froze indexation on financial assistance grants when they were in government, ripping nearly $1 billion away from councils.

This budget delivers for regional Australia, and it does so in partnership with local government—a billion dollars a year across the country through Roads to Recovery, $200 million a year under our Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program, $150 million a year under our road black spot funding. And our Growing Regions Program is already delivering almost $600 million in funding for community infrastructure across communities across our country. From Tamworth to the Kimberley, Growing Regions money is flowing to applicants, sods are being turned and foundations are being laid for legacy-building community infrastructure—projects like the now completed town centre revitalisation in Mission Beach, Queensland, supported by $8 million in the Growing Regions fund. In this budget, there was a further $750 million for future rounds of Growing Regions and Thriving Suburbs, and I can't wait to back in more of those worthy projects across the country.

That is a very different approach to that of those opposite. I read with interest in the Sydney Morning Herald today that the North Sydney 'regional pool' will open to the public in just a couple of months, only five years after it closed, only blowing out to $122 million—a project proudly sponsored by Senator Bridget McKenzie in the other place when she was minister for regional services, funded under a grant meant to support regional women's sporting facilities, a grant with the stated objective of 'strengthening regional sustainability, capacity and diversity'. I've seen the pictures of the upgraded North Sydney pool, and it is absolutely beautiful—right there under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. But is it regional? I mean, hardly. Will it strengthen regional sustainability, capacity and diversity? I highly doubt it. This was a project funded with no guidelines, no tender process and no application form.

Those opposite used colour coded spreadsheets to decide which regional communities got funding. When it didn't suit them, they channelled money promised to regional communities to the North Sydney pool. We're building the Roma pool; you gave money to the North— (Time expired)