I have said many times and it is proven repeatedly ‘Regional Australia always suffers under a Labor Governments. They are either unwilling or unable to acknowledge the contribution regional areas like Central Queensland make to the wider economy or they just do not care. This is borne out by the fact that Capricornia is once again missing out on accessing regional funding as the Albanese Labor Government fails to deliver regional grants programs.
It is sad because local government representatives and community organisations are being left waiting in limbo by this government and they are tired of it.
Ten months in government and five months since their budget and still there are no guidelines or timelines released for Labor’s Growing Regions program and Precincts and Partnerships Program.
Labor failed to launch these programs and deliver on the promises they made to regional Australians. They seem to be completely incapable of rolling out regional grants programs which were ready to go before they came into Government and ready to be allocated shortly after the new Labor Minister assumed her new office.
There is a certain urgency to this because project delivery costs are rising so local communities cannot afford to wait indefinitely, sitting on their hands while Labor works out how it wants to deliver on their promises to the region.
Our local governments need to plan and set their budgets and capital works programs and need certainty as to when funding programs will be available.
It is time the Albanese Labor Government got its act together and released funding guidelines and timelines for the Growing Regions Program and Precincts and Partnerships Program so councils and not-for-profit community groups can start planning to deliver outcomes for the local community who are in need.
Projects, like the Yeppoon Aquatic Centre Redevelopment or the Nebo Showgrounds upgrades promised at the 2022 election would be able to apply for funding if programs were approved. Instead, projects that benefit the community are left in limbo while this Labor Government withhold funding that would benefit the people of Capricornia.
Labor must stop the cuts and delays to regional and local funding programs.
It would also be nice if Federal Labor kept their election commitments. Recently they announced they will be unable to have a nurse in every aged care facility in Australia by their target of 1 July 2023.
Those living in aged care homes and their families across Capricornia were promised every facility would have at least one registered nurse onsite 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This promise will be broken.
This latest bungle from the Labor Government will cause additional issues to a sector already heaving under the pressure of trying to meet a one-size-fits-all regulation target.
Industry experts warned about the challenges that facilities would face to meet these targets, but Labor always think they knew best and pushed forward anyway. This has placed a considerable amount of distress to both aged care providers and the older Australians who are in their care.
Aged care providers are already facing challenging staffing problems and it is extremely disappointing that the Minister for Aged Care will not take this into consideration.
The Albanese Governments target on this is reckless and damaging, older Australians deserve better.
After ten long months of Federal Labor can anyone honestly say they are better off?
