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Budget short changes Western NSW transport and health
Tuesday 16 June 2009
Commenting on the budget announcement today, Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said that rural and regional communities had been short changed by bad spending decisions and a lack of investment in local services.
"The Government is spending up big on new infrastructure projects, but
many projects are not what NSW needs," said Ms Rhiannon.
"The budget papers are opaque, and lack specific details of new
spending initiatives across regional NSW.
"New health spending is encouraging, but is directed at maintaining
current infrastructure, and has fallen short of meeting the future
health needs of our aging population.
"In the coming years the number of residents over 60 years of age
living in the Greater Western area health service will rise
dramatically, yet there is no new infrastructure money to build
dedicated aged care facilities.
"The Government is planning to move small rural and regional hospitals
into multi-purpose service facilities to attract federal aged care
subsidies.
"But the Government should be allocating funds to build smaller
dedicated aged care facilities in rural towns so that aged people can
remain close to their family and friends.
"Once again improved regional dental services have failed to feature in
the budget.
"Regional rail and public transport infrastructure spending barely
rates a mention, compared to the $2 billion of new public transport
infrastructure projects announced for Sydney's greater metropolitan
area, such as $580 million for the new Sydney Metro.
"There is $323 million to operate regional bus services across NSW, but
the lion's share of the $207 million for new buses is earmarked for
Sydney metropolitan services.
"The budget contains many expensive measures that will not deliver jobs
in rural and regional NSW. The $15.7 billion energy plan will only
deliver 3,700 jobs and big ticket projects such as the Tillegra Dam
deliver only one job for every $1.7 million spent.
"The Greens plan to create new regional manufacturing jobs in public
transport and energy efficiency industries would have delivered many
times this number of jobs.
"The Rees Government should have used this year's budget to create
regional employment, deliver services and strengthen our economy," Ms
Rhiannon said.
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