State budget response

Friday June 23, 2023

THERE is no funding for Mount Gambier/Berrin in the 2023-2024 State Budget, which Member for Mount Gambier Troy Bell dubbed “disappointing”.

The budget was handed down last Thursday, with Naracoorte the only Limestone Coast town to receive targeted funding.

Naracoorte received $1m in this year’s budget to undertake a planning study for the delivery of health services in its region.

Mr Bell expressed his disappointment at the lack of funding for Mount Gambier, but said there were plenty of opportunities to be had for the region moving forward.

He said more funding for road safety should have been prominent after he claimed to have “started some serious conversations” to ensure if the government was to outsource road maintenance, it should be in Mount Gambier/Berrin rather than in Naracoorte.

“We are the largest centre outside of Adelaide and my overall wish is that we go back to a highways department in Mount Gambier where locals are looking after local roads and I see it as a good job creator as well,” Mr Bell said.

He said road maintenance was but one aspect of this year’s budget, with social housing another significant issue with a “severe lack of affordable housing in the region”.

“The budget includes funding for an additional 564 public homes and we need to be on the front foot securing a number of these homes for our community,” he said.

“There was no specific allocation to the number of new public houses being built in Mount Gambier, but there is a lot of scope for opportunities and I need to make sure we are front and centre in attracting our share of the allocations for the community.”

Mr Bell said he would have preferred to have the stamp duty removed for all first home buyers, rather than abolished for new builds or new homes.

“A new build increases the price because in my mind whether it is a $300,000 existing home or a $500,000 new build, some younger people may not be able to afford the new build and renovating an older house is just as much of a legitimate step into the housing market as a new build is,” he said.

Mr Bell said he would have liked to have seen the $5.4m needed allocated to Telstra’s recent proposal to increase mobile phone coverage in the area.

“Telstra have put an exciting proposal forward for mobile phone coverage to the State Government, which was one thing I was hoping for as well as nursing subsidies to help our students who have to travel away for placements,” he said.

“When I say students, there are a lot of mature aged students who have kids and work part time to support themselves and it puts those courses out of reach and yet it is an in demand course and the professionals are being called for too.”

Despite disappointment in some areas of the budget, Mr Bell said one exciting opportunity was the $20m allocated for major events and remained hopeful some of those major events would be brought to Mount Gambier/Berrin.

“We need to be proactive in attracting major events to Mount Gambier and the budget is very exciting with the major events funding going into the tourism industry,” he said.

“I was pleased to see that in the budget.

“However it is important for people to realise the estimates process which will occur in the coming weeks, is parliament’s way of unpacking the budget and although there were not specific announcements we will find out what may be in store for Mount Gambier.”

Member of the Legislative Council and Mount Gambier/Berrin resident Ben Hood also commented on the lack of funding for regional road maintenance stating a majority of the funding was allocated to Mount Barker.

“My main concern with this dull budget is it has little budgeted for the future of the South Australian economy and for our regions,” Mr Hood said.

“In terms of road safety it is only $2.5m per year for four years for the entire state outside of Mount Barker with 40 per cent of new budget for road and transport being allocated to Mount Barker.”

Mr Hood said although Mount Barker was a “great place” he did not class it as a regional centre and believed it was essentially a “suburb of Adelaide”.

“The per year funding for the entire state outside Mount Barker on road safety upgrades is not enough,” he said.

“If we look at 59 people dying on our roads this year compared to 71 who died on the roads in its entirety last year, this is laughable funding.

“The government needs to take road safety seriously.”

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