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.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Coalition’s 2016-17 budget aims to help build those sorts of communities in rural ... right around Australia by investing in infrastructure and creating jobs and growth in rural and regional areas.
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.
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.
While 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.
- Senator Fiona Nash, Minister for Regional Development, RegionalCommunications and Rural Health and Deputy Nationals Leader.