Media Releases

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced her new cabinet with the Hon Simon Crean being appointed Minister of the newly created Department of Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government.

Since Regional Development and Local Government interests were part of the former Department of Infrastructure, it will take some time to reorganise the machinery of government, particularly as Regional Development Australia is expected to have an expanded role.

Among the new commitments to regional Australia are those listed below:

• $1.8bn    Health and Hospitals Fund Regional Round (for regional Australia exclusively)
• $500m    Education Investment Fund Regional Round (for regional Australia exclusively)

Guaranteed 1/3 regional share of services

• $41m    Primary care infrastructure upgrades  (upgrade general practices, primary care and community health services, and Aboriginal Medical Services)
• $66m    Critical Skills Investment Fund  (for regional businesses and workers exclusively)
• $125m    Reward payments for schools (for the most improved schools in regional Australia)
• $15m    Local school control  (funding to rollout program on school autonomy)

Regional Infrastructure

• $800m    Priority Regional Infrastructure Program (funding over five years to 2015-16 for investment in projects identified by local communities in regional areas)
• $573m    Regional Infrastructure Fund (investment to support local projects identified by RDA that unlock new growth opportunities - this money is in addition to the $900m in regional projects already identified by Infrastructure Australia)

National Broadband Network

• Uniform national prices and priority regional build pledged in delivery of NBN.

Election commitments

• $5.43bn    Regional Infrastructure Fund (over 10 years)
• $392m    Telehealth  (Forward estimates)
• $200m    Building Better Regional Cities (to help build affordable homes in regional cities over three years and relieve pressure on capital cities)