Regions still need a fair go

Premier must deliver on billion-dollar battlers’ budget

IT WAS touted as the State Budget for “battlers and builders” – and on the surface, it is.

While those in the south-east whine about how mundane they think the budget is, many of us in the regions are rejoicing.

There will be $4.8 billion invested in infrastructure this year across regional Queensland.

This means jobs, and this means money flowing back into our economies.

While it is obvious Treasurer Curtis Pitt’s third budget has been created with the looming state election in mind, it has delivered what can be partly welcomed as a fair go for the regions.

The Mackay Ring Road will receive $70 million, The Capricornia Correctional Centre near Rockhampton will get $200 million and Townsville’s desperate pleas for water have been answered with a $225 million commitment.

But while these announcements appear glossy on paper, it is up to Queensland’s regional areas to keep our relentless pressure on the Palaszczuk government to fulfil its billion dollar promises.

A quick 30 minutes in front of the state’s media to appease us isn’t enough when some unemployment rates continue to rise.

The fact of the matter is – Queensland’s regions are doing it tougher than anywhere else.

Townsville and the outback continue to host the highest unemployment rate than any other regional area out of the south-east.

Just two months ago, the rate had reached almost 12%.

Families are breaking apart and local businesses that were once the backbone of our regional economy are closing.

We need to make sure once projects become available, our local contractors are applying for work and not forgoing valuable dollars to blue collar workers in the south.

Let’s access what we can right now and continue pushing for a fair go for the regions.