After more than two years in office and the Federal Labor Government have not funded one project in regional Tasmania, said Liberal Senator Guy Barnett today.
“This is a disgrace and demonstrates Labor’s contempt for regional communities,” Senator Barnett said.
“Only recently has a Tasmanian Committee of Regional Development Australia been properly established and received its official charter – two years after the Government was elected.
“On the contrary, the Federal Liberals had an extremely successful Regional Partnership program in place, which supported more than 40 regional projects in Tasmania worth more than $25 million in government and private sector funding,” Senator Barnett said.
"Regional Partnerships was a brilliant scheme that encouraged funding from all three tiers of government. Inquiries have shown that every dollar invested attracted $3 in co-funding.
“Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Affairs Maxine McKew has defended the period of inertia saying the Government had to work through the appropriate reports and recommendations before taking action. However, I understand the last of these reports was completed in October 2008 - over a year go.
“This is even more ridiculous when you consider that prior to the 2007 election, there was already a successful functioning body, the Area Consultative Committee, which assisted in the co-ordination of funding for community projects primarily through the Regional Partnerships Program,” Senator Barnett said.
The Regional Partnership Program was scrapped in Labor’s 2008 Budget.
“Successful community projects such as the St Helens Visitor Information and History Centre, the Meander Valley Shed project, the Bicheno Community War Memorial Hall upgrade and the redevelopment of the golf museum at Bothwell were all made possible through Regional Partnership assistance,” Senator Barnett said.
“The Coalition spent over $236 million in Regional Partnerships funding from 2000, with a genuine commitment to our regional communities. Regrettably, Labor have not spent anything on any new projects in regional Tasmania,” Senator Barnett concluded.