The Government sees a bright future for Aussie agriculture, but there is much more hard work ahead. We must boost our production to secure the long-term wealth of the nation.

The Coalition Government is continuing the fight against the scourge of pests and weeds, delivering a further $6.6 million to manage their impact on productivity.

Pests and weeds cost our farmers around $4 billion a year in livestock losses, disease controls and weed management costs, which has a huge impact on a farm’s productivity.

The Government wants to ensure farmers have access to the labour force they need to get their produce to market.

That’s why we are expanding a study into seasonal agricultural labour demand and supply conducted by ABARES to include more comprehensive data.

The study will collect data on labour costs, number and type of people employed, the skills required in different industries and challenges in recruiting and retaining staff.

This investment in future productivity and jobs in the Budget supports our efforts to grow agricultural exports, support regional and rural Australia and grow the economy.

The Government continue to give farmers a fair go through measures such as: doubling farm management deposits to $800,000; 100 per cent write offs on water storage and fences; and write offs over three years for fodder storage to build drought resilience.

Farmers and small businesses will continue to have access to the $20,000 instant asset write offs for a further 12 months to enable them to replace or upgrade things like the old work ute.

Budget 2018-19 continues the Coalition Government’s commitment to build a strong regional Australia with an additional $200 million provided for a third round of the Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF), which is a direct investment into the economic and social infrastructure of our regional communities.

Following the success of round one of the BBRF, which created 26,000 jobs through more than 250 projects nationally, and with round two BBRF projects currently under assessment, a third round of funding will deliver even more jobs and more economic growth in our regions.

Recognising the importance of the tourism sector to regional economies, up to $45 million of this additional investment will be directed to tourism related infrastructure projects. The announcement of a third round provides local organisations with further opportunities to deliver projects the community needs to thrive.

Our region has been very successful under round one, providing organisations such as the Gunnedah Shire Council with the ability to build the $2.6 million Curlewis Pipeline project, and $181,450 to deliver the Tottenham Pool Multipurpose Facility Project for their community.

Other successful projects from Round One included $95,000 for the Moree Aged and Disability Services Incorporated to help people who are ageing, disabled, transport disadvantaged, carers and volunteers; and $176,000 for the Trangie Community Connection Incorporated to help develop a respite centre. Extending the BBRF to a third round will allow community organisations that may have previously missed out to have the opportunity to expand and further develop their applications, allowing us to continue our investment in regional communities.

I strongly urge organisations and the community to take advantage of this initiative when applications are called later this year.

The BBRF aims to support job creating infrastructure projects with grants available from $20,000 to $10 million.

Decisions on the applications for projects under round two of the fund are expected towards the middle of this year.

For more information visit: https://www.business.gov.au/assistance/building-better-regions-fund

Local projects deliver stronger communities

The Coalition Government has committed an additional $22.5 million in Budget 2018-19 to continue the highly successful Stronger Communities Programme (SCP).

The fourth round of the program will ensure funding is available for a range of important community infrastructure projects such as sporting facilities and community halls. This is another example of the Budget demonstrating the Coalition Government’s commitment to building strong communities with extensions to vital community grants programs that invest directly in economic and social infrastructure.

The Coalition Government will fund up to 50 per cent of costs for successful projects from a pool of $150,000 in each electorate.

The additional investment for a fourth round of the SCP would ensure that local decision making continues to play a decisive role in funding community building projects. Our region has been very successful under previous rounds of the SCP, with funding for projects such as: the installation of reverse cycle air conditioning and solar panels at the Broken Hill Resource and Toy Library; the purchase of fridges, freezers and small appliances for the Gunnedah Meals on Wheels Association; and the installation of an electric barbeque and shelter at Deadman’s Point for the Lakes Alive Progress Association in Lake Cargelligo.

Visit: regional.gov.au/regional/programs/national-stronger-regions-fund.aspx