{"id":67487,"date":"2014-05-15T16:57:19","date_gmt":"2014-05-15T06:57:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=67487"},"modified":"2020-08-31T12:53:42","modified_gmt":"2020-08-31T02:53:42","slug":"rural-reactions-to-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2014\/05\/15\/rural-reactions-to-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"Rural Reactions To Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ian<\/a>
AgForce Queensland President Ian Burnett<\/figcaption><\/figure>May 15, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the Federal Budget has been greeted by dismay in some quarters – and State Governments are meeting to discuss cuts which will affect health and education funding – others are less displeased with the government’s efforts:<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/p>\n

AgForce General President Ian Burnett said given the tough budgetary challenges before the government, there were no surprises in the Budget.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAs an industry we are acutely aware of the debt our country must contend with and the need for fiscal responsibility at this time,\u201d Mr Burnett said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor this reason we acknowledge the government has honoured the majority of its election commitments and are additionally heartened by a commitment to investment in infrastructure amounting to $11.6 billion to work towards boosting total infrastructure investment by Commonwealth, State and Local Governments as well as the private sector to more than $125 billion by 2019-2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will include development of the second Toowoomba range crossing and we would clearly hope this funding would also be channelled to other infrastructure that would benefit agricultural productivity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we are concerned the re-indexation of the fuel excise will add costs to our regional communities we acknowledge the off-road diesel fuel rebate will also reflect that increase following strong lobbying by both AgForce and the National Farmers\u2019 Federation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdditionally, given around 80 per cent of Queensland is in drought, we are relieved to see a continued commitment to drought assistance funding.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do have concerns about maintaining the ongoing efforts to raise productivity in the sector and lifting agriculture\u2019s contribution to the economy at a time when there are enormous opportunities presented from the growing Asian middle class.<\/p>\n

\u201cCuts to funding of the CSIRO, the RIRDC and changes to the Cooperative Research Centre model also raise questions as to how research and development for the rural sector will continue to be delivered effectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother key point of concern is lack of information as to how the new national Landcare scheme\u00a0will be funded and operate and what monthly Pay As You Go requirements will be for trusts and sole\u00a0traders.”<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Queensland Farmers\u2019 Federation acknowledged the groundwork being undertaken by the Federal Government to return the Budget to surplus and pay down debt.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The peak farm group for Queensland\u2019s intensive farm sector said that while the Budget was not without cuts that would impact agricultural sector, it understood the need for the work of restoring the Budget to be shared among many.<\/p>\n

\u201cImportantly, the Federal Government has matched the diesel fuel rebate to increases in the excise,\u201d QFF CEO Dan Galligan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis rebate is critical for ensuring farmers maintain competitiveness in a global market, where already so many of our other costs are among the highest in the world. It also acknowledges the off-road use of diesel by farmers, given the excise is targeted toward road maintenance and upgrades.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also welcome the commitments to infrastructure in the Budget, including the long-awaited Toowoomba Range crossing.”<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Federal Member for Maranoa Bruce Scott<\/figcaption><\/figure>Federal LNP Member for Maranoa Bruce Scott said the 2014-15 Budget was a win for bush infrastructure and reinforced the Coalition Government\u2019s commitment to build road and rail networks of the 21st century in the electorate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a $1 billion National Stronger Regions Fund, together with $200 million of new Black Spot funding, and $350 million extra for Roads to Recovery which will deliver jobs and better roads across regional and rural Australia,\u201d Mr Scott said.<\/p>\n

\u201cInfrastructure projects will relieve pressure on existing infrastructure and unlock the economic capacity of the Maranoa, making it an even better place to live and do business.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake the Inland Rail as an example. It will significantly improve freight movements \u2013 including agriculture and coal \u2013 within Maranoa including the Western Downs and Surat Basin.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government is also re-introducing fuel indexation where every dollar raised by the increases will be linked, by law, to the road-building budget.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Scott said there was a number of programs guaranteed funding within the Maranoa including:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Roads to Recovery Program<\/strong>: A further $350 million per annum to extend the program from 2014-15 to 2018-19 to assist local governments to maintain and upgrade local roads<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    • Bridges Renewal Program<\/strong>: $300 million over the next five years<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n
      • Community Development Grants Program<\/strong>: More than $300 million to support needed infrastructure that promotes stable, secure and viable local and regional economies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          \n
        • Regional Development Australia<\/strong>: Funding of $3,860,085 will be provided to the 12 RDA committees in Queensland<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          * * *<\/strong><\/div>\n

          Federal Member for Wide Bay and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said the decisions that the Coalition Government had made in its first Budget would set Australia on the course to an economically sustainable future.<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \u201cThis Budget is an important part of the Coalition\u2019s Economic Action Strategy, which is designed to strengthen the economy, take pressure off families, and provide opportunities for business to create jobs,” he said.<\/p>\n

          \u201cThis is a Budget for Australia, which sets our nation on a sustainable path.<\/p>\n

          \u201cThe centrepiece of the Budget is a massive new commitment to upgrade Australia\u2019s road and rail networks, with more than $50 billion provided for new land transport infrastructure projects over the next seven years.<\/p>\n

          \u201cMobile phone black spots will also be addressed through a new $100 million competitive grants program that extends mobile phone coverage to those communities where it has not been viable for the private sector to make those investments.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          While the Federal Budget has been greeted by dismay in some quarters – and State Governments are meeting to discuss cuts which will affect health and education funding – others are less displeased with the government’s efforts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":46116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,36],"tags":[1134],"yoast_head":"\nRural Reactions To Budget - southburnett.com.au<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2014\/05\/15\/rural-reactions-to-budget\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rural Reactions To Budget - southburnett.com.au\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While the Federal Budget has been greeted by dismay in some quarters - 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