The federal electorate of Mallee has been ‘ripped off’ by the Albanese Labor government’s replacement programs for the successful Coalition-era Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF), Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster said today.

“Days after this month’s Federal Budget, Minister King belatedly ended the two-year wait for an announcement – let alone funding – for Labor’s substitute ‘Growing Regions Program’ (GRP),” Dr Webster said.

“The Albanese Government has stripped more than $168 million out of regional Australia and rejected more than 400 projects that were originally assessed as worthy by both the Regional Development Department and a Parliamentary panel hand-picked by Minister Catherine King.

The Coalition are calling for a full investigation into GRP grants the Albanese Government awarded to regions after 90 per cent of project applications were rejected following the budget.

“Regional Australia has suffered a two-year funding drought under Albanese Labor and that pain will now be extended for 400 unlucky regional communities abandoned by the Federal Government,” Dr Webster said.

“By contrast, in the six years to 2022 the BBRF delivered $1.15 billion across 1,293 projects all over regional Australia. Labor scrapped $10 billion worth of regional programs in their first budget but promised regional communities there would be opportunities for worthy projects to receive GRP funding. Instead, after two years Labor has not spent one cent on GRP projects.

“Not only did Labor bin nine out of every 10 GRP applications, but GRP is under-committed by $93.4 million or 31 per cent despite 400 projects being rejected. Swan Hill’s riverfront was the only project in Mallee that was approved, despite many other councils and community groups applying for funding with my support.”

“Councils and community groups know they have not missed out on a grant due to a lack of federal funding, but because Minister King thinks their regional projects would not gain the political mileage she is aiming for.”

Meanwhile, the Auditor-General is investigating $2.2 billion the Albanese Government had no hesitation giving the Andrews-Allan Victorian Labor pet project, the Suburban Rail Loop, which has blown out from an initial $50 billion estimated cost in 2018 to beyond $216 billion at last count.

“Robbing regions to buy votes in the inner cities is in Labor’s DNA.  The evidence is clear everywhere you look and regional Victorians have had enough.”