Regional Development minister Catherine King has told Flow listeners the substitute programs for the Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF) will be open for applications in the New Year.
The BBRF was axed amid Round 6, heavily over-subscribed after Australian National Audit Office concerns about the projects being decided on terms other than merit.
Minister King acknowledged in an interview on Thursday morning on Flow councils and others had spent substantial time making applications, but pointed to the concurrent disappointment regional cities and towns within Labor-held electorates had experienced over the preceding 5 funding rounds in not getting a proportionate share of grant funding:
Nationals leader David Littleproud described the budget as 'ripping the guts' out of regional Australia and Liberal member for Wannon in western Victoria, Dan Tehan, told Flow on Tuesday the BBRF fund was not being rorted. The former trade minister claimed before the Budget was released that the new funds would not equate to the scope of BBRF. Minister King told Flow on Thursday that was not the case, but shadow assistant minister for transport and infrastructure Tony Pasin claimed the minister's case didn't stack up.
Mr Pasin, the South Australian Liberal member for Barker also told Flow on Thursday that the focus of Labor's new funds looked to be focused on larger regional centres not the smaller communities that are replete in electorates like his:
"A very long list of projects across your listening area benefited from Building Better Regions funding - rec centres in the Riverland, (an) airport upgrade in Mount Gambier, Barossa Community Helpers were in rented accommodation on earthen floor, we were able to build them a purpose-built facillity. To whip those opportunities away is ridiculous. Applicants for round 6 spent time, money, waited 10 months - this is an incredibly disrespectful way to treat them."
The list of recipients of round 5 of the now defunct fund included air conditioning for the Corowa Golf Club, upgrading the Balaklava swimming pool, a mining history display in St Arnaud, redeveloping the Clare sports precinct, refurbishing a manager's residence at Milang Lakeside Butter Factory, new women's sporting facilities at Lockhart and creating a pedestrian and cycling path in Great Western wine region.
Flow understands that a Booleroo Centre swimming pool upgrade, improvements to the Mount Gambier saleyards, a South East SA speedway improvement and a Barossa arts project were among many in the oversubscribed round 6 now sent back to the application drawing board by the cancellation of the program.
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