Resources for Regions Program

The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL (15:17:19):

I move:

(1)That this House affirms its support for the Resources for Regions program.

(2)That this House notes that:

(a)since 2012, the Resources for Regions program has allocated $560 million to 355 projects in regional New South Wales;

(b)this funding supports the ongoing prosperity of mining communities in regional New South Wales by providing vital infrastructure, economic opportunities and positive social outcomes; and

(c)the former Government committed additional funding to support the Resources for Regions program to help local government areas in gas exploration areas, to continue to drive economic and social success in regional communities impacted by mining.

(3)That this House calls on the Government to commit to funding future rounds of Resources for Regions.

As members would be aware, since 2012 the Resources for Regions program has allocated $560 million to 355 projects supporting the ongoing prosperity of mining communities in regional New South Wales. Those projects have restored towns, upgraded roads and built essential community infrastructure while also increasing economic opportunities and local amenities, fostering positive social outcomes. The former Liberal‑Nationals Government began this program and committed additional funding for it to also assist those local government areas in gas exploration regions, once again to drive economic and social success in regional communities impacted by mining.

All members of this House would be well aware that our mining towns make a significant contribution to the New South Wales economy. However, the Liberals and Nationals recognise that this success can put extra pressure on local infrastructure. Therefore, it only makes sense to provide programs such as this that give that financial benefit to those communities making a contribution to the State's economy. It is only fair they receive funding in recognition of that contribution. The projects funded through Resources for Regions help create new jobs and drive economic growth but also deliver lifestyle improvements and enrich the wellbeing of those communities for generations to come. The last round of the program delivered $75 million in funding to support 93 projects.

For the benefit of the House, I call out a number of successful projects under this particular program. The Bylong Valley Way upgrade improved the movement of freight for mining activities. It addressed the condition of the road due to heavy vehicle usage. The works to the road will ensure that it is safe and smooth for additional traffic generated from local mining activity associated with coalmining in the region. The Denman community received $2.5 million to allow the council to further develop its master plan for the upgrade of the Denman town centre. This included safer pedestrian features, street art, caravan parking and an expansion of the memorial park. As major recipients of the program, Singleton Council, Muswellbrook Shire Council and the CEO of the Minerals Council recently called on the Government to commit to keeping the funding running.

As I have said, we know that mining plays an important part in the economy. It supports tens of thousands of jobs across the State, and it will continue to play a role for many years to come. That is why we need to make sure we invest in the future of the regions. Full disclosure: It is something that I have seen in my own community of Gunnedah, which had $5.6 million go towards our Gunnedah Koala Sanctuary. We are very well known for koalas in Gunnedah—they and Miranda Kerr are the two reasons we are famous. We are the koala capital of New South Wales. Do not listen to people from Port Macquarie; it is not. The money that came through Resources for Regions supported the building of the koala sanctuary, ensuring the local koala population can be cared for and helping to stem its decline in the Gunnedah shire.

We talked earlier about swimming. I am happy to say that the Liverpool Plains aquatic centre in Quirindi received part funding to rebuild the Quirindi pool to give locals a widened 50-metre pool. If only the kids could use their First Lap vouchers in that pool that was upgraded under the Resources for Regions program. Also in Gunnedah, $1.6 million went towards the aerodrome runway upgrade to bring Gunnedah's airport runway up to Civil Aviation Safety Authority regulation and make opportunities for domestic air travel possible again from Gunnedah, which I know our local council is looking at.

The funding that goes to communities who have heavy mining activity in their area is really about making a better way of life and investing in significant infrastructure. It is a program worth continuing. I would appreciate hearing from the Minister for Regional New South Wales on this. I know her public comments have been that things are being considered. As the Minister, she should be standing up today and backing in this program. She should be making sure that hardworking regional communities are not penalised by city‑centric thinking and making sure that regional communities do not miss out on her watch. We have to continue to support our regional mining towns. We have to make sure that they are well supported through programs like Resources for Regions. The Coalition Government was very committed to this program, and it is up to the Labor Government to continue it.

The Hon. TARA MORIARTY (Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional New South Wales, and Minister for Western New South Wales) (15:22:04):

I will not be lectured to by the National Party on funding for regional New South Wales, regional programs or the budget and what it looks like going forward, given the mess that we have inherited. We have to work our way through that to get the budget back on track while ensuring that regional New South Wales does not miss out. We will be doing that across government. I will be doing that as Minister for Regional New South Wales. I am incredibly proud of the Government's unwavering commitment to the regions and to regional people. A cornerstone of that enduring commitment is our pledge to support regional communities and their economies because they do the heavy lifting, especially our mining communities.

The Government acknowledges the importance of investment that supports the ongoing prosperity of mining communities in regional New South Wales. I am listening to our mining communities in the regions, as is the Minister for Natural Resources and the whole Government. We understand that their needs are complex and demand our attention. We are working with them on what the future should look like and how they can be financially supported. As we have outlined repeatedly in this place and will continue to do, this Government is taking time to consider and evaluate programs run by the previous Government because, frankly, the National Party rorted the system. We know that. It is a fact. That is part of the reason that they lost the election. That is part of the reason that they are going backwards in regional New South Wales.

We will deal with these things in an appropriate way that ensures that regional New South Wales gets its fair share. That includes this program. I will support the motion. However, I will move an amendment to paragraph (3). Accordingly, I move:

That the question be amended by omitting in paragraph (3) "to commit to" and inserting instead "to consider".

We are committed to supporting regional New South Wales and these communities in particular. I acknowledge the history of the fund, but I will not be instructed by National Party members, given how they conducted themselves in the previous Government. This Government will consider carefully how money should be spent in regional communities and particularly in mining communities, and it will do it in a proper way. That will include giving them the proper resources that they are entitled to and making sure that the budget is properly considered. That will include going through the money that has been spent before now because of the history of the previous Government. I will support the motion with my amendment. This Government will not be held to ransom by the National Party given that we are cleaning up the previous Government's mess in this matter.

Ms SUE HIGGINSON (15:25:02):

It is important to note that we are talking about the extraction of resources and the profits generated from those returning to regions. We need to remember what the real costs are to regions right now. The average annual cost of extreme weather events—which we know are caused by resources projects and the extraction of fossil fuels from New South Wales—per household between 2011 and 2021 was $880. From 2021 to 2022, it was $1,532. It is now expected to be $2,500 per year per household by 2050. When we are talking about investments in regions commensurate to the resources extracted and the harms they cause to households and communities of regional New South Wales, let's talk about the real prices.

Lismore lost $508 million from floods last year according to the Insurance Council. Insurance claims from Lismore averaged almost $80,000; Ballina, $64,000; Ballina and Richmond Valley, both around $50,000. The July 2022 severe weather that inundated parts of Western Sydney and surrounds resulted in almost 22,000 claims at a cost of $244 million. The insurance bill for storms and floods from January 2020 through to November 2022 topped $12.3 billion. When we are talking about resources and regional communities, The Nationals, the Liberals and Labor need to get real and consider what the real costs are from resource extraction and its unwavering continuation that all State governments have committed to. We seek to amend the motion. Accordingly, I move:

That the question be amended by omitting in paragraph (3) all words after "Government" and inserting instead "to consider funding programs for regional communities independent of fossil fuel projects".

The Hon. SAM FARRAWAY (15:27:46):

I support the motion put forward by my colleague the Hon. Sarah Mitchell. This is an important motion that spells out the Resources for Regions program. The numbers speak for themselves. There were 355 individual projects in communities where resources are extracted in this State—an over half a billion dollar commitment. Let's be clear: That is part of the royalties that are collected and reinvested into those communities. The clincher is the third paragraph of the motion. The Minister for Regional New South Wales does not support that part of the motion and sought to amend it. She talks about not being held to ransom by The Nationals, but at the end of the day she is holding mining-impacted communities to ransom. That is who she and this Government are holding to ransom. I have spoken to multiple mayors who have met with the Minister for Natural Resources. They did not get a very good reception and got no commitment for these programs.

I reiterate that 355 individual projects worth over half a billion dollars are being invested back into communities like Lithgow, Blayney, Singleton, Cobar and Broken Hill. They are great communities, with mining as part of their regional economy. Our projects have built legacy infrastructure in those communities, like repairing the pipe network, building new youth centres and the great Cobar museum in Cobar; building adventure playgrounds in Orange; or building the enabling infrastructure for more housing development in Parkes. Those meaningful projects create legacy infrastructure for those communities. The motion is about making sure that part of the royalties collected and derived from those areas is reinvested back into those communities.

Members opposite speak about being disingenuous. It is disingenuous for the Labor State Government and the Minister for Regional New South Wales to talk about being held to ransom. The Minister is holding the mining communities in regional New South Wales to ransom. Resources for Regions is an important program for those communities, and they want to know if it is on the chopping black. The Minister for Finance and Natural Resources would not answer questions when mayors met with her recently. They cannot see the Minister for Regional New South Wales because she does not turn up to meetings with country mayors. The mining communities across regional New South Wales are the ones left for ransom. Shame on the Labor Government.

The Hon. STEPHEN LAWRENCE (15:31:00):

I contribute to debate on the motion and the amendment to the motion. I acknowledge that, since its inception in 2012, Resources for Regions has allocated $560 million to 355 projects that have supported the ongoing prosperity of mining communities in regional New South Wales. Those projects have contributed to our regional towns to upgrade roads and build community facilities while improving economic opportunities and local amenities, and supporting positive social outcomes. The success of many aspects of the program is self-evident, but the Government is also looking into how to further maximise our investments and guarantee sustainability into the future.

I will elaborate. To ensure the viability and efficacy of its funding programs and to identify opportunities to maximise investment, the New South Wales Government is currently reviewing those initiatives and their suitability as it looks to supercharge growth in our mining communities. Members will recall that the Labor Government went to the election with some exciting and specific policies around clean energy transition authorities. I have been involved in a number of meetings about those matters with a variety of regional representatives. They are exciting and positive, and a good way to invest government money. As part of that wider review, current funding programs have to be examined to ensure that they are administered with the highest levels of integrity and that they deliver value for money for taxpayers. The context surrounding that includes the constant rorting of grant programs by the previous Government. We heard a lot about the bushfire fund, but we can go back year by year and look at all the pork‑barrelling controversies exposed by media and government authorities. That is important context.

Grant money in my local community was given out but is still sitting in the bank. The money cannot be spent because it was given to programs with applications that were not eligible. In those circumstances, one has to suspect some sort of improper executive interference in those grants. We have been forced to embark on this comprehensive review to ensure that all government money is administered with the highest levels of integrity and delivers value for money for New South Wales taxpayers. We are determined to deliver funding programs that are hardworking and high performing, and that deliver on their promises, unlike the previous Government.

The Hon. WES FANG (15:34:06):

I contribute to debate on the motion. I was reflecting with my colleagues as I was listening to the contributions of those opposite about how I miss the Hon. Mick Veitch. Bring back Mick. If he was here, he would say to this lot opposite, "We need to support Resources for Regions. We need to support the motion." But instead we see the Tsar of Opals opposite telling us how things are. Where is the lawyer from Goulburn/Sydney who is supposed to be the regional member who took Mick's spot? Members on this side of the House provide genuine support for the mining communities where money is made and then returned.

Those opposite have absolutely abandoned that. They have made no commitments and they have not said to the community, "We're going to support you and the communities that have provided the resources and the economic benefit to the State, and here's the return that you're going to see." The community knows that we have supported them and made sure that they got a return on those funds. I hope the communities of those opposite are listening to this debate because it will send a shiver through every single one of them. They saw the funding that was rolled out to them by the Nats and the Libs when we were in government. They saw how—

The Hon. Tara Moriarty:

And they voted accordingly. They changed the government.

The Hon. WES FANG:

No, that is not true. Those seats are still in the hands of The Nationals. Members opposite have very short memories.

Government members interjected

[.]

I will just keep talking through the cacophony of interjections by those opposite. That is how embarrassed they are about how they treat rural and regional communities and how they continue to cut, cut, cut the programs that we put in place to support the communities that we represent. They are embarrassed to come into the Chamber and try to defend their record because they have no record. They are going to deliver cuts and reduce services to those communities. They should reflect on the cuts that they are enforcing on the good people of rural and regional New South Wales and apologise and return the money.

The Hon. EMILY SUVAAL (15:37:17):

The New South Wales Government is fiercely committed to delivering on its promises to regional communities, including mining-affected towns across the State. We on this side recognise that investment is needed to support the ongoing prosperity of mining communities in regional New South Wales. But we recognise a level of need across all of regional New South Wales and acknowledge that we do not have access to unlimited funds to achieve our policy goals. We want to ensure the sustainability and efficacy of funding programs going forward and the best use of our limited resources. To identify opportunities for further investment, the Government is currently reviewing the previous Government's grants programs and will reflect on their suitability as it looks to kick some ambitious goals in the mining regions.

That is not cause for alarm; it is normal practice for Government agencies to pause and review their expenditure following an election so that incoming Ministers can be briefed and consider current spending against the Government's new priorities. The Government is actively reviewing investments made through the $3.3 billion Regional Growth Fund, including the Resources for Regions program, to ensure they are fit for purpose and maximise positive outcomes for all people in the regions. Some program activities have been paused while the Government undertakes that review process. That will ensure that the greatest amount of funding can be made available for future programs aimed at achieving this Government's priorities. I assure our communities that the New South Wales Government is committed to delivering responsible investment programs that will supercharge our regions and inspire the ambitions of our mining communities.

I am proud of the New South Wales Government's unwavering commitment to our mining towns. A cornerstone of this enduring commitment is the Government's pledge to support regional communities and their economies through transformative investment. To honour this commitment the New South Wales Government is supporting funding that will buoy our transitioning economies, address housing and cost-of-living pressures, protect the environment and support the critical role regional communities play in the transition to net zero emissions. The Government is careful that its aspirations are tempered by the prudence of sound fiscal management. While the Government's investments are ambitious, its future programs and funding will be made carefully to ensure that the support is enduring. The New South Wales Government is committed to sponsoring meaningful programs and investment that will foster the prosperity of our mining communities and deliver a better future for the people, businesses and communities of regional New South Wales.

The Hon. AILEEN MacDONALD (15:40:15):

I support the motion moved by my colleague the Hon. Sarah Mitchell. The Resources for Regions program is a policy of the previous Government which demonstrated an understanding of the need to support regional communities, especially mining communities, that have contributed and continue to contribute so much to the New South Wales economy. In particular I look at the town of Denman as an example and the incredible impact the revitalisation project funded through the Resources for Regions program has had on this town, its businesses and its community. I have visited Denman on many occasions and have seen the town prior to the significant revitalisation. The changes that have been brought about by the $2.5 million that the program provided are quite remarkable.

The shops, footpaths, parking and amenities in the town centre have been greatly improved, in addition to the functionality and safety of the strip. The streetscape works have made the street much more aesthetic, with the addition of street art giving the community a town centre with a real charm. The improvements have attracted more food outlets to set up shop in town, which in turn of course attracts tourists, who not only spend time but also money in the town. Upgrades to the memorial park were also undertaken with this funding, including improved amenities and an all-inclusive play space. With these upgrades more community events are able to be held in this space, improving the social cohesion of the town. My son and his partner live, work and play in Denman. They say the difference these works have made to the lifestyle of living and working in Denman is significant.

I hope that this story can be repeated in many more regional towns across New South Wales. Think of the positive impacts these kinds of infrastructure improvements will have on regional communities for years into the future, ensuring that they are not forgotten and that their towns attract people to live, work, tour or raise a family. It is not only the right thing to do but it is also an essential part of keeping New South Wales moving forward. We must ensure that we continue to support regional communities where gas exploration and mining occur.

The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL (15:43:01):

In reply: I thank members for their contributions to the debate. I say at the outset that the Opposition will not support either the amendment moved by Minister Moriarty or the amendment moved by Ms Sue Higginson. We back the motion as it is. It is important that there is a commitment to continue to fund this program. I note that many members on this side of the Chamber talked about the difference that the program makes to regional communities. We live and breathe it. We understand the difference this sort of investment makes in regional New South Wales.

I appreciate the Minister saying that the Government will look at these issues and she is listening, but there comes a time when, as the Minister, you have to act and make decisions, particularly as the Minister for Regional New South Wales. This is not a case of being lectured to by the National Party. We do not apologise for standing up and strongly backing in our regional communities. Indeed, it is the very reason we have been elected to this place, for the party that we represent to make sure that regional communities are heard and have a voice in this Chamber. It is important that programs that provide direct investment into regional New South Wales continue. The Hon. Stephen Lawrence made a contribution to the debate about making sure that the money is going to areas that need it. To say that these programs do not fund communities who deserve it is, frankly, embarrassing. The fact is we know that the amount of money that was invested to support these communities under the Liberal‑Nationals Government was significant and it should continue.

I mention some facilities from the Central West that have benefited from the program: Mendooran Oval, Bowen Oval in Coolah and the No. 3 Oval in Coonabarabran. They received upgrades to provide better amenities, increased storage for local sporting teams and expansion of facilities in a local park. This money has made a real difference to regional communities in Central West New South Wales where the member lives. The same for those in the Hunter. I mentioned the mayors of Singleton and Muswellbrook are very keen to see this program continue. Labor members who live outside Sydney should also be backing this program in. I am sure they have seen the benefits of it in their communities but, once again, politics gets in the way. It is a shame, because it is important that regional communities are backed in. They were every day of the week when The Nationals were in Government.

This program makes sense. The program gives financial support to communities who are making an incredible contribution to the State's economy from mining and resources. The Government should support the program and commit to funding it, not just considering it. Again, this leaves a big question mark over the program for the next few months until the budget is delivered. It is not good enough for regional communities. The Hon. Sam Farraway was dead right when he said in his contribution that the mayors are furious about this because there is so much uncertainty that they do not know whether there will be opportunities to continue these sorts of programs. The Government has to do better and a very good start would be to support the motion as it is, without any amendments.

The PRESIDENT:

The Hon. Sarah Mitchell has moved a motion, to which the Hon. Tara Moriarty and Ms Sue Higginson have moved amendments. The question is that the amendment of the Hon. Tara Moriarty be agreed to.

The House divided.

Ayes18

Noes16

Majority2

Amendment of the Hon. Tara Moriarty agreed to.

The PRESIDENT:

Paragraph 3 of the motion now reads, "That this House calls on the Government to consider funding future rounds of Resources for Regions," to which Ms Sue Higginson has moved an amendment. The question now is that the amendment of Ms Sue Higginson be agreed to.

Amendment of Ms Sue Higginson negatived.

The PRESIDENT:

The question is that the motion as amended be agreed to.

Motion as amended agreed to.

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