The federal budget for the coming year was handed down by treasurer Josh Frydenberg last night (29 March). While mitigating the rising cost of essential goods and services was an expected focal point for the budget, the new investments are said to ‘turbocharge’ Australia’s regional economies. 

Some of the budget features that Western Plains locals might look forward to include offsets to the cost of living, connectivity and investment in regional health:

Cost of living

• $420 one-off tax offset for low and middle-income earners
• 50 per cent cut to the fuel excise for six months, halving the 44 cent charge to 22 cents
• One-off $250 payment for concession card holders

Connectivity

• $811.8 million to address mobile blackspots along approximately 8,000 kilometres of regional transport routes and improving the resilience of telecommunications infrastructure against natural disasters
• $480 million investment towards upgrading the NBN’s Fixed Wireless Network and Satellite services

Regional Health

• $33.3 million over four years to Royal Flying Doctor Service
• $22.1 million over four years to increase Careflight and Little Wings capacity
• $99.3 million for 80 additional medical Commonwealth supported places at rural campuses
• $14.8 million over four years to support Charles Sturt University to deliver a Rural Clinical School
• $2.1 million for the renewal of funding for the National Rural Health Student Network

Agriculture measures to assist $100 billion industry by 2030 goal

• $61.6m for biosecurity infrastructure
• $20.1m for on-farm biosecurity
• $20m for pest and weed reduction
• $15.4m for agricultural shows and field days
• $12m for trade events
• $6.6m for the AgMove program

While the Federal Government has boosted their new budget, the newly-released figures haven’t impressed everyone, drawing concerns of being left behind. 

National Spokesperson for Everybody’s Home Kate Colvin expressed concern that the budget did little to address the increasing pressures on social and affordable housing, despite the current housing crisis that is plaguing the country. 

“For the last two years workers in industries such as aged care, child-care and retail have been lauded as heroes of the pandemic. But the budget has done nothing to help them out of the rental pincer. People on low and modest incomes need real housing solutions, instead they are getting rhetoric and bandaids,” Ms Colvin said.

Similarly, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) Professor Michael Buxton said the real estate focus on supporting first homebuyers will inevitably add to the price of housing. 

“All these home buyer grants do is stimulate demand, which increases pressure on the supply of houses and prices of housing products. Governments know this, but they get a free kick just before the election so they keep on making the same mistake and adding significantly to the price of housing in the longer term,” Professor Buxton said. 

RMIT Program Manager for the Bachelor of Youth Work Dr Kathy Edwards said that the supposed alleviations on the cost of living missed the mark in a similar way. 

“A one-off cost of living package is a poorly applied bandaid. This will not address rising costs of essentials such as food, energy and fuel, let alone touch the sides of existing disadvantages,” Dr Edwards said.

Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton, however, believes his Government’s budget and its inclusion of a dedicated regions package will strengthen the electorate and its economy. 

“Our investments will create local jobs and new economic opportunities for locals, lifting their standard of living and enabling them to pursue their dreams,” Mr Coulton said. 

The Budget documents for 2022-23 are available here.