Deputy PM’s ‘Quiet Revolution’ – very quiet indeed

While giving qualified support to the Sustainable Regions initiative of the Government’s Stronger Regions statement, Catholic Welfare Australia expressed concern about the paucity of vision underpinning the Government’s framework for regional development announced today.

National Director, Toby O’Connor said: "While the Sustainable Regions component of this announcement is welcome, the Government’s so-called ‘Framework for developing Australia’s regions’ fails in important respects.

"Particularly, the Government’s framework does not elevate regional equity and development to the central place in national policy that it manifestly requires and fails to propose interventions aimed specifically at private and public sector job generation."

Providing qualified support to the Sustainable Regions initiative, Mr O’Connor said: "While the funding commitment of only $100 million over four years is paltry, the initiative at least holds out the promise of special assistance for some of our regions in greatest need. The preferential option for the poorest regions is a fundamental priority for equitable regional development and in this regard the Government is on the right track."

Catholic Welfare Australia is pleased to see that ‘prototype’ regions to be considered will include those experiencing high unemployment and will embrace depressed urban regions, as well as the rural and remote areas that have been the focus of this Government’s attention.

However, Mr O’Connor cautioned, "Catholic Welfare Australia is concerned about the Deputy Prime Minister’s requirement that selected regions must have demonstrated a strong degree of ‘self-reliance’. Instead, it is precisely those regions that are in greatest need that most require the assistance offered by this program and they must not be excluded. Catholic Welfare Australia will be watching this selection process carefully.

"Catholic Welfare Australia also welcomes the proposals to amend the Competition Principles Agreement to ensure greater regional consultation of the impacts. However, the Government clearly has not learnt that regional development in the national interest requires more than NCP apologetics."

Mr O’Connor concluded, "The Deputy Prime Minister today made much of the Stronger Families and Community Strategy in addressing social needs in regions. However, we are yet to see this policy work in practice and agencies on the ground in disadvantaged regions have faced mountains of red-tape and bureaucracy in trying to access these funds. Meanwhile communities continue to go without."