MY aim is to create rural and regional communities our children and grandchildren want to either stay in or come back to; too many of our young people move to the cities and never return.
The Coalition’s 2016-17 budget aims to help build those sorts of communities in rural and regional NSW and right around Australia by investing in infrastructure and creating jobs and growth in rural and regional areas.
We’re getting on with the job on Inland Rail by investing $594 million to buy the land for the rail corridor and prepare for construction.
Inland Rail will connect Brisbane to Melbourne via freight rail and will have massive benefits for farmers and rural communities in regional NSW, growing rural jobs.
The NSW leg will run from Narrabri to Gwabegar, Narromine, Parkes, Stockinbingal, Wagga and Albury.
Youth unemployment can be a challenge in regional areas, so we’re investing $840.3 million into a comprehensive Youth Employment Package for training, internships and incentives for employers which will be targeted at unemployment hot spots.
We’re also investing $560 million per year from 2019–20 for roads, bridges, rest stops and road blackspot improvements to keep all road users safe.
The $2 billion National Water Infrastructure Loan Facility in the 2016–17 Budget will provide concessional loans to states and territories to build pipelines, dams and managed aquifer recharge projects.
We will also provide $7.1 million for more rural financial counsellors.
I’m especially excited about our $15 million investment to wipe most of the European Carp out of the Murray Darling Basin.
After years of testing, a virus which kills more than 90 per cent of carp is ready for release and our native fish (as well as trout) will benefit. Catching fresh fish for dinner in the local river is something rural communities offer that capital cities can’t.
The government’s $5.2 billion investment to connect rural and regional households and businesses to the Coalition’s NBN continues to roll out.
Plans start at $35/month and every premises in Australia can be connected to the Coalition’s NBN if they choose.
Our $160 million investment to fix mobile phone black spots has already seen contracts signed for 499 new or improved mobile phone towers to cover 3000 black spots.
Also beginning on July 1 is the roll out of an additional $298.2 million over four years for the National Ice Action Strategy, to break the drug dealer’s model and reduce the use of this devastating drug.
The Australian Crime Commission had previously reported ice dealers were targeting regional areas.
We continue our focus on getting more health professionals to rural areas.
Whilst the above is just a snapshot, the Coalition is putting its money where its mouth is to build great rural, regional and remote communities, even in tough financial times.
