Ministerial Statement
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STRONGER RURAL AND REGIONAL COMMUNITIES STATEMENT BY THE HONOURABLE ANTHONY ALBANESE MP MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE HONOURABLE TONY BURKE MP MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FORESTRY MINISTER FOR POPULATION AND THE HONOURABLE MARTIN FERGUSON AM MP MINISTER FOR RESOURCES AND ENERGY MINISTER FOR TOURISM AND THE HONOURABLE MAXINE MCKEW MP PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE HONOURABLE GARY GRAY AO MP PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR WESTERN AND NORTHERN AUSTRALIA 11 MAY 2010 © Commonwealth of Australia 2010 ISBN 978 1742 71175 1 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth available from the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to: Commonwealth Copyright Administration Copyright Law Branch Attorney-General’s Department 3-5 National Circuit BARTON ACT 2600 URL: www.ag.gov.au/cca Printed by CanPrint CONTENTS FOREWORD .........................................................................................................1 BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS...........................................................................................5 Land Transport Infrastructure Investment .....................................................................................5 Australian Apprentices Incentives Program ..................................................................................5 National Drought Policy Reform....................................................................................................6 Biosecurity and Quarantine...........................................................................................................6 Rural and Regional Health ............................................................................................................7 Pacific Islands Forum....................................................................................................................7 Southern Ocean Maritime Patrol and Response...........................................................................8 Ensuring the Resilience of the Great Barrier Reef ........................................................................8 Extension of Drought Support .......................................................................................................8 Renewable Energy........................................................................................................................8 Tourism .........................................................................................................................................9 Find and Connect Service.............................................................................................................9 Remote Service Delivery Flexible Funding Pool .........................................................................10 Community Development Employment Projects Program Reform in the Torres Strait Region.........................................................................................................................................10 Additional Maintenance Funding for Aboriginal Hostels Limited .................................................10 Community Engagement Strategy for People with Disability ......................................................10 Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payments ................................................................11 Whole of Government ICT Data Communication Equipment and Satellite Facilities – Christmas Island .........................................................................................................................11 Improving Access to Justice — Legal Assistance Priorities ........................................................11 Australian Human Rights Framework..........................................................................................12 COMPENDIUM OF PRIORITIES AND INITIATIVES ....................................................13 Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry .............................................................................................13 Attorney-General.........................................................................................................................19 Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy ..............................................................21 Defence Housing Australia..........................................................................................................26 Education, Employment and Workplace Relations......................................................................26 Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.................................................................................46 Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs ................................................49 Foreign Affairs and Trade ...........................................................................................................57 Health and Ageing ......................................................................................................................58 Human Services..........................................................................................................................62 Immigration and Citizenship........................................................................................................62 Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government ..................................63 Innovation, Industry, Science and Research...............................................................................73 Resources, Energy and Tourism.................................................................................................75 III FOREWORD The Australian Government is committed to supporting stronger, more sustainable rural and regional communities across Australia. The 2010-11 Budget continues record investment to ensure that rural and regional areas of Australia are best placed to benefit from the economic recovery as global growth resumes. This investment extends across rural and regional transport, water, energy, health, education and communications infrastructure for dynamic and productive regions. Rural and regional Australia is critical to the Australian economy, generating 60 per cent of our export income and driving Australia’s resource and agricultural industries. Infrastructure in our regions is therefore a vital part of preparing the nation’s economy for future challenges. In 2008 and 2009, the Rudd Government took decisive and immediate policy action to protect jobs from the impacts of the worst global economic crisis since the Great Depression. The $42 billion Nation Building and Jobs Plan supported some 200,000 jobs and made critical investments in rural, regional and urban infrastructure, and made Australia one of the only advanced economies in the world to avoid economic recession. Australia now has the fastest growth, lowest debt, lowest deficit and the second lowest unemployment rate when compared with the major advanced OECD economies. And over the longer term, Australian communities will enjoy the enduring benefit of deep investments in transport and education infrastructure that boost the productive capacity of the economy. In short, we are supporting the economic recovery today by building infrastructure that rural and regional Australia needs for the future. The growing economies of our region will continue to drive global demand for our mineral and agricultural commodities. The Australian Government is committed to addressing infrastructure bottlenecks and capacity constraints that can threaten economic growth in rural and regional Australia. The Australian Government has begun a ‘Nation Building Decade’, investing a record $37 billion in road, rail and port projects across Australia, from 2008-09 to 2013-14, to boost national productivity and create jobs. This Budget invests $996 million in equity into the Government-owned Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) for a productivity-boosting package of rail projects across rural and regional Australia to provide stronger steel rail, more concrete sleepers, bridge replacements, new passing loops and associated rail infrastructure works to strengthen the interstate freight rail network, take more trucks off our roads, and secure the future of freight rail over the longer term. This investment will improve the 1 Foreword reliability, performance and capacity of ARTC’s network and deliver significant productivity and safety benefits for rural and regional Australia. This investment in the interstate rail network will help create and support jobs in regional areas, help take more trucks off our regional roads, increase the nation’s productivity and deliver significant environmental benefits. The Government will build on these investments by establishing a new ongoing infrastructure fund for the states and territories, as part of its tax plan for the future. The fund will commence in 2012-13 with an initial contribution of $700 million and will be worth more than $5.6 billion over the decade. This will support state investment in nation-building infrastructure, delivering better infrastructure for rural and regional communities, especially in