“The Albanese Government promised programs to support the regions, but after almost two years there is nothing to show for it.”
These are the words of Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox who believes the Dawson community is suffering from the government’s failure to allocate grants for much needed community infrastructure projects.
“The Labor Government in Canberra has imposed a two-year funding drought on regional communities as a result of the Prime Minister’s decisions to abolish programs designed to strengthen rural, remote and regional Australia and a failure to deliver initiatives of their own,” Mr Willcox said.
He goes on to say that “right across the nation, regional councils and community organisations have been waiting more than 40 weeks since Labor opened the so-called Growing Regions Program, and over nine months later not one application has been approved and funded.”
“By failing to award grant moneys under this program, Labor is effectively stealing $300 million in much needed funding from the regions,” Mr Willcox added.
Mr Willcox said this is not the only program the government has failed to deliver, with not a single grant approved in the first assessment round of the $400 million Precincts and Partnerships program, undertaken in September/October last year.
“The Government is starving the regions of funding. Over Labor’s first two years in office, they have stripped more than $20 billion in infrastructure and programs from regional communities,” Willcox added.
“Labor has abolished or allowed to lapse important job and community building programs such as the Building Better Regions Fund, Community Development Grants, Regionalisation Fund, Roads of Strategic Importance Program, and the Stronger Communities Program, just to name a few.”
Willcox is currently developing a Dawson project register, and is strongly urging any community organisation, not-for-profit, or sporting club who does have a project in the works and has applied for this funding to contact his office and register their project to ensure they are the first to know about any current or future grant and funding opportunities that become available.
“For anyone who would like to be added to this register, they can contact my office via email at Andrew.Willcox.MP@aph.gov.au.”
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