Building Better Regions Fund

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (15:21): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development regarding regional development.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: The Building Better Regions Fund is a federal government grants program that is operated over five rounds, with $1.15 billion allocated to support regional projects around our state and the nation more broadly. The new federal Labor government has said that it will redesign the grant program, leaving those who applied for $250 million worth of grants in round 6 between December and February in limbo, including projects in our state such as the transformation of the Mount Gambier and District Saleyards and the upgrade of the facilities at Calperum Station. My questions to the minister are:

1. Is the minister confident that the round 6 grants will be distributed?

2. Has the minister written to her federal colleagues, advocating support for the fund and seeking clarity on the future of the program?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:22): I thank the honourable member for her question. I, too, am disappointed that the former federal Liberal government opened a round in the middle of December and didn't finalise those announcements before the election. I think it has left a lot of uncertainty. Why they would have done that just prior to an election and going into caretaker is certainly an interesting question.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: I note the interjections from those opposite, saying that it was because they wanted to grow the regions.

The Hon. R.P. Wortley interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Wortley, I don't need your help.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: If the former federal government had wanted to grow the regions, they would have ensured that those grants actually were finalised to an announcement stage before the election. I think it's really quite fascinating that those opposite continue to talk about what the regions would want, given that they were so wholeheartedly rejected by the regions in the most recent state election. We know the number of—

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: Point of order, Mr President: relevance to the question.

The PRESIDENT: It's not actually a point of order.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Leader of the Government, I don't need your help on this one.

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Leader of the Government, I don't need your help. Minister, please continue your answer.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Thank you, Mr President. We saw at the last state election that, overwhelmingly, regional voters rejected the former Liberal state government. They obviously didn't feel that they were being listened to by those who purported to represent the regions. They obviously felt that the former Liberal government was not interested in growing the regions and, indeed, that they were in a similar situation to the federal government, who didn't bother to finalise round 6 of the Building Better Regions Fund before they went into caretaker mode.

Of course, given the former federal Liberal government lost the federal election, clearly most of the country also found that the former Liberal federal government was not representing their needs, was not caring about looking after them and had failed on every important measure. I think it is quite remarkable for those opposite to come in now purporting to represent the regions, purporting to listen to what regional people want, purporting to care about what regional people want, when we have had four years of absolute disappointment from regional people.

When I was in opposition, obviously I was going around the regions a lot, particularly when I was shadow for regional development, but prior to that as well, and as a regional resident myself. Overwhelmingly, people would come to me and say, 'Look, I never thought I would be voting Labor, but the Liberals have been such a disappointment.' They said, 'The Liberals have been such a disappointment. We had such high hopes. They promised everything and have delivered very little.'

I think it is really quite remarkable for those opposite to now come in and start complaining about what hasn't happened in regional areas when they were in charge for the previous four years, and federally for many more years than that. It really is evidence that they are out of touch, and we continue to hear from those opposite—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Minister, conclude your remarks, please, so we can move on.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Okay. We continue to hear from those opposite—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —about how the electorate got it wrong. We continue to hear from those opposite that actually they were a wonderful government, that actually they did care about the regions, despite the outcome of the election, that actually it is the regions and the electorate in general that misunderstood the Marshall Liberal government. Those silly voters just didn't know when they were well off, and the reason that they have been rejected is that the voters got it wrong.

I think it is important to note that the voters never get it wrong. Democracy is a function of individuals being able to vote based on the policies and the records of the government that is there and the policies that are being promised by the proposed alternative government.

The PRESIDENT: Minister, this is a rather longwinded argument.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Of course, there is a report that was leaked in regard to the reasons for the Liberal Party loss. I don't know if it's purely because of shabby dressing that the Liberals lost. I personally don't think that's the only reason. I think it's because of their lack of policies, their lack of listening, especially their lack of listening to the regions, and their lack of care for regional voters as well as others across the state.