REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:35): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Regional Development a question about regional development.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: When the Liberal government lost office in 2002, the budget papers included a regional statement. The Rann Labor government maintained the practice for six of its first eight budgets, including the five budgets leading up to the 2009-10 budget. Having a regional statement budget paper ensured that there was an appropriate focus on the needs of South Australians beyond the Adelaide metropolitan area. It also meant that the proposals were subject to parliamentary accountability, including through the budget estimates process. For the last two budgets, there has been no regional statement included in the budget papers. On 4 May 2011, the Minister for Regional Development released a press release entitled 'Government Commits to Regional Statement'. In it she said:

Now is the time to consolidate and build upon current initiatives with the development of a statement for regional South Australia as the vehicle for improved regional economic, social and environmental outcomes...South Australia will benefit from a statement, which will highlight to regional communities and to government agencies the linkages between government plans, strategies, programs and services.

I ask the minister:

1. Will the regional statement be a budget paper?

2. If the answer to the first question is no, what form will it take, when will it be finalised and how will it be released?

3. Will the process be led by Treasury, her department or the Regional Communities Consultative Council?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for Gambling) (14:37): I thank the honourable member for his most important questions. Indeed, the regional budget statement was not made this year nor the previous year. Historically, regional budget statements have not always been made. They have been made from time to time but not necessarily always provided. The reason that we did not provide one this financial year is that our regional programs, if you like, were integrated and incorporated right throughout our whole-of-government approach. So, although there are a number of initiatives where we provide dedicated resources to regional development, they are widespread across different agencies.

I am very pleased to actually note that, in the 2011-12 budget, this government has committed to deliver significant investment to key services and infrastructure in regional South Australia to the tune of $276.3 million. We are very committed to supporting economic, social and environmental sustainability across regional communities and we have contributed to, as I said, a large number of different initiatives and programs to achieve that.

We have committed to invest $54.8 million over four years to improve our regional road network in things like shoulder sealing and the rehabilitation and resurfacing of high priority regional roads. There is an additional $8 million over the next four years for a program for road surfacing, with Kangaroo Island, in particular, being one of the first to benefit.

We have also provided funding for some of our communities that were hardest hit by floods, including $13.5 million, $9.6 million of which is for repairs to things like bridges and $3 million to assist Clare and other councils in the area, as well as number of other initiatives. We have also put aside designated resources for bushfire management: $23.1 million in additional funding over four years to increase prescribed burning, with a high focus on the Eyre Peninsula as well as some other areas.

Moneys have also been designated to improve our school bus services; we have committed $122.6 million for the purchase of 25 new buses. Of course, there is also a very strong focus in this budget on rural health, with new initiatives of $62.7 million, in partnership with the commonwealth government, for things such as redevelopment of the Mount Gambier and Port Lincoln hospitals and, particularly, to provide increased capacity for primary health care, as well as improvements to dental services.

There is also the construction of a purpose-built ambulance station at Mount Gambier. There is a large number of other initiatives: regional investments of $22.5 million over four years for the operation and maintenance of the Upper and Lower South-East drainage system and $10.9 million for service upgrades and maintenance of electricity services, particularly to remote Aboriginal communities. The list goes on and on. As I said, the commitment is there, and it is incorporated and integrated right throughout our whole budget process.

Indeed, the regional statement that I announced fairly recently is an initiative that will be coordinated through my agency. It is not a budget statement but rather a statement that enhances the government's commitment to building sustainable regional communities. It is about identifying emerging challenges and opportunities and, in particular, it is about making those linkages across government plans, strategies, programs and services.

As I outlined, we do a great deal of very hard work and make significant investments right across government, but at present we do not have a single place that draws together and connects all those programs and strategies. That was the aim of the regional statement that I spoke about recently, and, as I said, the Rann government's commitment to regions is well and truly enshrined in this most recent budget, as it is in all our budgets.