Regional funding, flood recovery at top of Sam Birrell’s agenda as parliament resumes

By Max Stainkamph

Feb 5, 2023

Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell will use the start of parliament this week to advocate for more funding for regional communities and to continue pushing for more funding for flood recovery.

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Mr Birrell said piggy banks like the building better regions fund, which help supply local councils and regional communities with somewhere to apply for infrastructure spending, had been cut with no replacements.

“I’ve got councils coming to me saying ‘where do I apply for this infrastructure that’s desperately needed across the electorate?’ and the answer is there’s nothing yet,” he said.

“Part of what I’m going to do is continue to put the pressure on the Labor government and the Regional Development Minister to ask ‘where are the new programs and when will they be announced when will the criteria be explained how much money’s in them?’.

“That’s going to be a big focus in my first couple of weeks.”

Mr Birrell said he would continue to work with Emergency Services Minister Murray Wyatt, who had been “very positive and constructive”, to continue support for the electorate which was still recovering from flooding in October last year.

“I’m working with groups not only to get the funding they need to recover from what’s happened but see if we can build things to mitigate against the worst effects when there’s another flood.”

Mr Birrell was also concerned by the government’s economic narrative, which he said was made up of “confusing and worrying” policies such as the industrial relations bill.

“I think that that’s concerning, particularly in a region like the Goulburn Valley where people have used their entrepreneurial spirit and government has got out of the way and let them build businesses, some of the policies of this government around IR and in other areas, I think threaten that,” he said.