Our plan for a stronger economy is putting locals first.
The Federal Government is committed to supporting our regional economies to continue to grow and to ensure regional communities are safe, prosperous and sustainable into the future.
Our plan builds better and safer infrastructure, provides more quality healthcare in the regions and ensures that our communities have the essential services they need to grow and prosper.
We will continue to provide tax relief for hard working Australians, keep backing business to invest and create more jobs and ensure that we keep Australians safe.
Tax relief for hard-working Australians
- Immediate tax relief for low- and middle-income earners of up to $1,080 for singles and $2,160 for dual income families.
- Increasing the instant asset write-off threshold to $30,000 for small and medium sized businesses.
Supporting our agriculture sector
- Providing drought support to communities and farmers with $3.9 billion to the Future Drought Fund, $50 million to the On-Farm Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebate Scheme.
- $96 million to date for over 250 community projects to revitalize local economies.
- $34 million for a new Agriculture Biodiversity Stewardship Program to help farmers boost on-farm agricultural practices to support biodiversity.
- $29.4 million for our industries to access to new export markets and capitalise on export opportunities.
- $15.3 million for a nationally coordinated approach to combat fruit fly.
- $8.7 million to give our Australian dairy farmers a fair go with a mandatory code of conduct for the dairy
Stronger regional connectivity package
- New regional visas that will require 23,000 skilled workers to live and work in regional Australia.
- $272.2 million through the Regional Growth Fund for local infrastructure projects that will unlock economic opportunities.
- $200 million for Round 4 of the Building Better Regions Fund and $22.7 million for Round 5 of the Stronger Communities Programme.
- $160 million for Rounds 5 and 6 of the Mobile Black Spot Program.
- $60 million for a new Regional Connectivity Program to improve mobile and broadband services across regional and remote Australia.
- $43.7 million to guarantee funding for Australia’s Public Broadcasters, the ABC and SBS, and provide new resources outside major city centres.
- Driving our decentralisation agenda with over 1,700 positions established or relocated outside of Canberra, inner Sydney and Melbourne.
Investing in the future of education
- A $525.3 million Skills Package that will deliver the skills Australia needs for its future. This includes $200.2 million for a new Additional Identified Skills Shortage Payment to boost incentives to support up to 80,000 new apprentices.
- $453.1 million to extend access to 15 hours of quality preschool a week in the year before school, benefiting over 100,000 children who live in regional Australia.
- $134.8 million to strengthen higher education in regional Australia with more study places, regional study hubs, scholarships and enhanced facilities.
- A new $93.7 million Destination Australia Program will provide up to 4,720 scholarships of up to $15,000 to encourage students to study in regional Australia.
High-quality care for regional Australians
- $448.5 million to improve continuity of primary care and convenience for patients.
- $461 million for a national strategy to prevent suicide and promote mental wellbeing.
- $282.4 million for more Home Care packages to allow more people to receive care sooner.
- $62.2 million the National Rural Generalist Pathway to deliver more rural generalists.
- $41 million to expand the Sporting Schools Program to more than 500 secondary schools and more than 5,200 primary schools.
- $42.5 million for nine new MRI licences, $27.7 million for more McGrath Breast Cancer Nurses and $17.4 million for more Prostate Cancer Nurses to ensure regionals Australians receive care when they need it.
Climate solutions package
- $284 million for a one-off payment of $75 for singles and $125 for couples to assist with your next power bill and cost of living expenses.
- $50.4 million to support feasibility studies into the development of new microgrids.
- $100 million to establish the Environment Protection Fund to provide grants for on-ground restoration and protection projects focusing on threatened species, waste reduction and other environmental issues.
- $61.2 million for a new Energy Efficient Communities Program – grants for businesses and community organisations to improve energy consumption.
- $28.3 million for a new Communities Environment Program, providing $150,000 to each electorate for community led environment projects.
Infrastructure
- $100 billion infrastructure investment for critical road and rail projects to better connect our regions and improve safety.
- Increased funding to the Roads of Strategic Importance initiative to $4.5 billion for key freight corridors.
- An additional $2.2 billion is being invested to improve road safety through a Local and State Government Road Safety Package.
- A new National Faster Rail Agency will be established from 1 July 2019 to oversee the delivery of fast rail business cases.
- $500 million for a new five year Roads to Recovery program to construct and maintain local roads.
- An additional $200 million to fund safety works to reduce crashes and save lives through the Black Spot Program and an additional $100 million for the Bridges Renewal Program.
- $100 million for works at regional airports to provide greater access to safe and efficient air services.
- $3.3 billion to build the water infrastructure of the future through the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund and the National Water Loan Facility.
