WA Labor will destroy Royalties for Regions by redirecting funding into programs that should be funded under normal Government expenditure.
Member for the Mining and Pastoral Region Dave Grills MLC said WA Labor were already proposing to make changes to the hugely successful Royalties for Regions program that would undermine the program’s fundamental purpose.
“WA Labor will raid Royalties for Regions to finance road infrastructure that should be funded by general Government expenditure,” Mr Grills said.
“It’s clear Labor wants to shift the costs of road infrastructure to Royalties for Regions and redirect general Government expenditure toward unfunded big ticket promises in Perth such as Metronet.
“The big question for regional West Australians is what Royalties for Regions projects will Labor cut as part of its plan to shift funding to roads.”
Mr Grills said Labor had no credibility in regional WA and questioned how the party could claim it would protect Royalties for Regions when it was already planning to change it.
“Under the Carpenter Government, Labor only allocated a total investment of $80 million into regional development over four years between 2004 and 2008,” Mr Grills said.
“This paltry allocation was nothing short of an insult to regional WA.
“After years of neglect and underinvestment by Labor, they still fought against Royalties for Regions in 2008, and they can’t be trusted to retain it in its current form into the future.”
Mr Grills said unlike the major parties, The Nationals team was solely focused on the issues that matter to regional WA as they didn’t have to contend with city-based politicians with Perth-centric priorities.
“Our flagship Royalties for Regions program is a once-in-a-century policy has enabled us to transform regional communities into better places to live, work and invest,” Mr Grills said.
“Perth-centric Labor evidently believes that regional WA is not worthy of investment, but The Nationals understand the importance of our regions to WA’s economy and the need to narrow the city-country gap.
“The Nationals created Royalties for Regions, we delivered it, and only we will fight to protect it.”
Royalties for Regions has invested almost $7 billion into more than 3,700 projects across regional WA since 2008.
For more information visit www.nationalswa.com/royalties_for_regions
For media enquiries contact Dave Grills MLC on (08) 90711 500 or email dave.grills@mp.wa.gov.au
