The Nationals WA have made a revolutionary commitment to regional Western Australia ahead of the 2025
State Election, announcing they will bring back Royalties for Regions and stop any future Government from
taking it away again.
Royalties for Regions was a policy developed and delivered by The Nationals WA in Government from
2008 – 2017, which invested $1 billion dollars of mining royalties back into the regional communities that
made it.
Over 3600 projects were funded, which were community-led and focused on creating local jobs, and
sustainable communities.
When WA Labor came into power in 2017, Royalties for Regions funding was gutted and redirected to
metropolitan areas.
Lachlan Hunter, Nationals WA candidate for Central Wheatbelt said the loss of Royalties for Regions had
been devastating for regional communities across Western Australia.
“For almost a decade, regional communities have not seen any significant investment, and subsequently
we’ve seen the basics of health, housing and education go downhill.
“Royalties for Regions was about putting the wealth generated in the regions, back into the communities
that worked so hard to make it.
“And most importantly it put the power in local hands, and let communities make their own decisions about
what they wanted and needed.
“In the Central Wheatbelt alone Royalties for Regions funded some crucial and important projects including
upgrading Corrigin Regional Medical Centre, construction of the Merredin Regional Community and Leisure
Centre, and the Northam Race Club’s grey water project reducing the club’s annual water bill by hundreds
of thousands of dollars.
Mr Hunter said the Nationals will go further by putting in place mechanisms to ensure the continuity of the
program.
“A Nationals Government will not just restore Royalties for Regions, it will amend the Royalties for Regions
Act so that no future Government can ever do what Labor has done.”
“The Nationals have fought for Royalties for Regions, and we’ll do it again.”
“Regional communities who generate the wealth of this state deserve to get their fair share and the
Nationals will deliver this. This is our promise to the people of regional Western Australia”.
