Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Regional Development, Senator Nash. I refer to the coalition government's $2.7 million grant through the Community Development Grants Program to Central Coast Group Training Limited for the construction of the North Wyong skills training centre. What cost-benefit analysis or due diligence took place prior to the granting of this $2.7 million of taxpayer money?

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Every single one of the projects that receives funding goes through a very rigorous process, and that includes the individual project that Senator O'Neill has just raised. There's a very detailed value-for-money assessment. It goes through a whole range of factors that are taken into account to ensure that these projects are value for money. Projects cannot and do not proceed to funding until they have gone through this rigorous assessment process, and that includes the project that the senator just raised.

This does raise the issue of grants more generally. Indeed, I was recently looking at some previous Labor funding programs, and I found some very interesting material. The Labor Party had a program called the community infrastructure grants program. The department's annual report in 2012 showed that Labor spent $250 million on 87 projects. Colleagues, when the department was quizzed on how money was allocated under the community infrastructure grants program at an estimates hearing in May 2011, the then secretary stated, 'Those were decisions of government and'—wait for it, colleagues—'they are not subject to a merit selection process'. The hypocrisy of the questioning from those opposite! I table the excerpt of that transcript for the benefit of the Senate. Further, an analysis of the grants reporting register for that program in August 2012 shows—colleagues, you'll be interested in this—grants to coalition seats, $30,229,250—

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How much to theirs?

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Grants to Labor Party seats: $141,059,253. That is information on grants for the Senate.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator O'Neill, a supplementary question.

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Jo Eyes, a Central Coast resident, says:

The Federal Government has paid for an industrial building that is now owned by Central Coast Group Training and is largely empty. How is that helping young people?

In an area of above-average youth unemployment, how can the minister assure Ms Eyes that the $2.7 million of taxpayers' money has been used wisely?

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, I take it from the senator that that's the view of an individual. Again, across all of our grants projects, a rigorous assessment is provided for the funding of those projects.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator O'Neill, a final supplementary question.

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With decisions like these, how can the minister claim that her decisions are balanced, well thought through and measured? Isn't it clear that the Senate can have no confidence that the minister's decisions are beyond challenge, particularly while her eligibility as a senator remains under question?

Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm very confident in the processes that we have in place to determine funding for regional communities and for communities right across the country. Labor has some nerve coming into this place and lecturing this government about funding for regional Australia. Indeed, Labor's former regional development minister, Catherine King, was slammed by the Auditor-General for her handling of the Regional Development Australia Fund. The Auditor-General's report showed that the minister refused her own panel's advice on 74 separate decisions in round 3 and round 4. In just round 4 alone of the RDAF, the minister at the time, Catherine King, made 34 decisions that diverged from the recommendations of the panel—a whopping 80 per cent of the 42 projects that were funded in that round. Interestingly, those on the other side don't want those sorts of facts raised because they know it's only this side that's delivering for regional Australia.