Sparse budget for the regions - including Narungga

Member for Narungga Fraser Ellis MP has once again bemoaned the lack of specific mention of the Narungga electorate in today’s State Budget.

“For the fourth year in a row our region has not received anything that merited specific mention in the glossy highlight pages of the State Budget,” he said.

“Despite the pleading and begging we have done for significant health upgrades, a continued pipeline of improvements to our road network and upgrades to our telecommunications network to name just three portfolios, nothing has made it into the final budget.

“Unfortunately, it lends truth to the view that this Government can’t see past Gepps Cross”, Mr Ellis said.

The electorate of Narungga was not alone in regional South Australia in missing out on significant funding.

“While not necessarily objecting to these projects it is difficult to look at some of the metropolitan investments and not consider how far alternate uses of that money could have stretched in regional SA.

“It’s hard not to look at the $3.2 billion assigned to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital and wonder what good that could have done upgrading our local hospitals.

“It’s hard not to look at the $15.4 billion assigned to South Road upgrades and consider what good that could have done fixing our plethora of failing roads.”

However, Mr Ellis did warn against viewing the budget as the only opportunity to secure community improvement initiatives.

“While the State Budget is a much-anticipated document for politicians seeking to understand Government plans for the forthcoming year, the reality is that more opportunities exist throughout the year,” he said.

“Only last year we secured massive investment in upgrading the road from Port Broughton to Bute and Kulpara to Arthurton both outside of the budgetary process.

“It is disappointing to repeatedly be ignored as part of the budget announcements but we have had tremendous success outside of that process.

“There are also past announcements that are due to arrive next financial year, among them an upgraded ambulance station and paramedics crew at Wallaroo, investment from the Regional Jetty Fund and a brand new co-located CFS/SES facility in Maitland.”

Attention now turns to the next State Election in March and the development of a manifesto putting forward our region’s priorities.

“I hope that the lack of any specific health initiatives for our electorate has been deliberate pending the outcomes of the now very nearly completed Health Petition Inquiry that was triggered by our petition.

“I keenly await the recommendations by the Economic and Finance Committee which I anticipate will be announced in coming weeks.

“I intend to collate all of the needs of our electorate into a document that will be put forward in the lead up to the next election – including the results of our health petition inquiry.

“We need to ensure that our needs are on the election agenda,” Mr Ellis said.