A stoush has brewed between Labor and The Nationals as to whether the 2023/24 Federal Budget will deliver for Gippsland.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers officially handed down the Budget last Tuesday, May 9.
Labor Senator for Victoria Raff Ciccone said the families and businesses across Gippsland are set to benefit.
“This is a Budget that delivers on our promises and provides cost of living relief for communities in Gippsland,” Senator Ciccone said.
Among the announcements are a new Energy Price Relief Plan that aims to provide relief for more than five million households.
Around 1.3 million households in Victoria are expected to be eligible for a $500 rebate in 2023-24, with $250 from the Commonwealth applied as a reduction in electricity bills and the $250 contribution by Victoria as a direct payment through the 2023 Power Saving Bonus Payment.
“I know that our Energy Price Relief Plan will make a real difference in household budgets – helping families in Gippsland to get ahead,” Senator Ciccone said.
“We are also making a historic investment to strengthen Medicare, tripling bulk billing incentives, which will see immediate benefits to more than 11 million Australians.”
The government has approved strengthening Australia’s biosecurity safeguards, with an additional billion dollars expected to be provided over four years to reinforce the system, including greater regulation, surveillance and international engagement.
A “biosecurity protection levy” on Australian producers of agricultural, forestry and fishery products from the middle of next year, which is expected to raise about $150 million over three years, will partly offset the cost of the measure.
Commonwealth national parks and marine reserves will receive a $355 million dollar funding boost over four years, while $121 million will be spent over four years setting up the new Environment Protection Australia agency, which aims to strengthen the enforcement of federal environmental laws. There is also $51 million in the budget to set up “Environment Information Australia”, which the government intends to become a new authoritative source of high-quality environmental information.
Low-interest loans will be offered to households looking to improve their energy efficiency, and $300 million will go towards energy efficiency upgrades in social housing.
$1.9 billion over five years will be spent on measures to improve the lives and economic opportunities available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The federal government will also appoint an interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner at a cost of $1.7 million.
All enterprises with an annual revenue of less than $50 million will be eligible for a bonus tax discount to assist them electrify. The measure is expected to help around 3.8 million small and medium-sized businesses at a cost of $314 million over the next four years.
Dr Chalmers said that the program was just one example of how the federal government was delivering for Gippsland.
“We made a promise to the Australian people that after a wasted decade, we would work hard every day,” the Treasurer said.
“This Budget is about delivering a stronger foundation for a better future.
“Labor is delivering the positive and lasting change that Australians voted for by making child care cheaper, expanding paid parental leave, delivering fee-free TAFE, saving households money on their power bills, making medicines cheaper and getting wages moving again.”
While Senator Ciccone says the region is set to benefit, federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester says this week’s Federal Budget failed Gippslanders.
“Gippsland and regional Australia underpin the wealth of the nation through energy generation, exporting commodities, and growing the food and fibre we need,” Mr Chester said.
“In return, we expect the federal government to return a fair share of revenue to our community for critical services and infrastructure investment.
“This week’s Federal Budget failed Gippslanders with no new infrastructure projects and a return to centralised decision making for local projects.”
Mr Chester said Gippslanders received a very clear message from the Budget.
“Labor doesn’t understand rural and regional Australia; Labor doesn’t respect the contribution we make to the nation; and Prime Minister Albanese doesn’t trust us to make good decisions for our own communities,” Mr Chester stated.
“I’m a huge believer in localism, where local communities have a say in the big decisions which affect them.”
According to Mr Chester, there are at least three specific examples in the Federal Budget where localism has died, and Labor’s desire to centralise authority in Canberra has grown even stronger.
“Firstly, the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program (LRCIP) has received no additional funding and has effectively been abolished, robbing Gippsland councils of an important source of funding,” Mr Chester explained.
“Under LRCIP, the previous federal government gave power to local councils to make decisions and build community infrastructure across Gippsland, which they would never be able to afford from their rate base.
“Urban councils will hardly notice the difference because they have other sources of income, but this will be devastating for Gippsland councils which depend heavily on the federal government for funding local projects.”
Mr Chester said the decision to cease funding for the Stronger Communities Program was another example of the federal government abandoning localism.
“Under this highly successful program, every electorate received $150,000, which was made available for volunteer organisations to seek matching grants for small-scale projects,” he said.
“Volunteers who raised money through raffles, sausage sizzles and community events could receive a bit of extra help to get a project completed quicker than was possible if they were forced to raise all the money.
“It was a good example of locals deciding local priorities and leveraging off a little bit of taxpayers’ money to deliver important projects, but Labor always wants to centralise power.
“The evidence is clear with the announcement that Labor will hire 10,000 additional bureaucrats in Canberra, including a decision to move disaster support officers into capital cities, rather than leaving them in regional locations.”
Mr Chester described the federal government’s lack of understanding of how small communities work and trust in them to make good decisions as alarming, leading to abolishing programs that give regions such as Gippsland power to make their own decision.
“Just as concerning is the fact that there’s no additional road projects or infrastructure funding for Gippsland in this budget,” Mr Chester said.
“Every project involving federal funding that is currently underway in Gippsland was started by the previous federal government, and the Albanese Government has not started a single new project in 12 months.
“It concerns me that we won’t have a pipeline of new work when major transport projects are completed, and all the Minister for Infrastructure has announced is a review.
“The announcement of a 90-day review into the federal government’s infrastructure program is an ominous sign for Gippslanders with previous commitments to road projects likely to be at risk,” he said.
“I’ve demanded that Gippsland road safety, transport infrastructure, local governments and bushfire recovery projects are quarantined from the Labor Party’s budget cuts, but the Minister is saying if the work hasn’t started, it’s under review.
“So, in essence, we have a community that is at risk of being punished by the federal Labor Government because the state Labor Government has failed to do its job and spend the funding provided for our local projects.”
Contrary to Senator Ciccone, Mr Chester says the budget leaves middle-class Australians paying more for their mortgages and energy bills and completely ignores the needs of small and family-owned businesses.
“The federal government has locked in long-term spending commitments on welfare payments, but it hasn’t explained how future governments will pay the bill if government revenue drops due to lower commodity prices,” Mr Chester said.
“As a local MP, I will always work with community groups and councils to try to secure funding from various competitive grants programs, but it will be challenging to get a fair go from a government that has so clearly prioritised cities and suburbs over rural and regional communities.”
