Tehan expands on budget decisions

Member for Wannon Dan Tehan has continued to outline what the federal budget means for his electorate.

He said the government was sticking to its plan ‘to build a stronger economy to benefit all Australians’. Here is what he said in further detail – We are delivering tax relief with a focus on low and middle-income earners, we are boosting infrastructure, investing in safety and responsibly returning the budget to balance.

Under the government’s economic plan, jobs are being created, investment is rising, and the budget is strengthening. This means that we can continue to guarantee the essential services Australians rely on. Our plan will: • Deliver lower, fairer and simpler taxes to encourage and reward hardworking Australians;

• Back businesses to invest and create more jobs, building on our legislated tax cuts for small and medium enterprise, supporting businesses to compete globally and delivering infrastructure that industry and workers rely on;

• Guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on including record funding for hospitals and schools, a comprehensive approach to aged care so older Australians can live life to the full, and guaranteed funding for disability services;

• Keep Australians safe by strengthening security at airports and investing more in our intelligence and security service so they can respond to new and challenging threats; and

• Ensure the government lives within its means with a forecast return to modest budget balance in 2019-20, increasing to a projected surplus of $11 billion in 2020-21; no longer borrowing to pay for essential services; and the lowest average real growth in payments of any Government in the last 50 years.

Our tax-relief plan will encourage and reward hardworking Australians. Wannon’s 48,982 taxpayers will benefit from the low and middleincome tax relief under our plan to reduce cost pressures on household budgets.

There is great news for the 17,408 local businesses and farmers, with the $20,000 instant asset write-off continuing for another year, helping small business and farmers invest in new equipment. This is on top of legislated tax cuts for small and medium businesses that are helping them grow, create more jobs and pay higher wages.

The Turnbull government’s $75-billion rolling infrastructure plan will continue building the roads, rail and airport network Australia needs to strengthen the economy, bust congestion in our cities and make rural roads safer.

The benefits of the Turnbull government’s infrastructure investment for the communities of Wannon include:

• Better connecting our region with improved road and rail networks;

• Confirms our commitment of $958 million in Federal funding for $1.4-billion of ongoing road and rail projects across Wannon, including: $25-million, Great Ocean Road upgrade; $20-million, Green Triangle Roads upgrades; 240-million, Murray Basin Freight Rail project; $20-million, Princes Highway West, Colac to the SA Border upgrade; $104-million, Warrnambool Rail upgrade; $25-million, Ararat bypass preconstruction; $25-million, Beaufort bypass preconstruction; $499-million, Western Highway, Ballarat to Stawell duplication;

• Confirms the ongoing commitment to help local government maintain and upgrade its local roads with $10.4-million allocated under the Roads to Recovery program;

• Creates a $3.5-billion ‘Roads of Strategic Importance’ initiative for upgrading key freight routes – which will boost our regional communities by moving our freight efficiently to our ports and markets.

Extending community grants programs that invest directly in economic and social infrastructure:

• We’ve extended the Building Better Regions Fund – which delivered 26,000 jobs and 250 projects in the first round – with an additional $200-million now available through a third round; and the Stronger Communities Program has been extended to a fourth round with an additional $22.5-million with $150,000 available in Wannon for projects that deliver social benefits.

We are also guaranteeing the essential services that people in Wannon rely on, including: Keeping our local communities safe • An additional $30-million over two years to extend the Safer Communities Fund to provide grants for local security infrastructure including improving lighting and installing CCTV in local hotspots. Investing in your health • A Workforce Incentive Program will encourage 3000 doctors and 3000 nurses to our regional areas, including locations such as Heywood, Mortlake, Skipton and Portland; funding for Medicare has been guaranteed in legislation; and funding of the NDIS to provide Australians with a permanent and significant disability has been guaranteed. Promoting a healthy and active Australia • $29.7-million under the Community Sport Infrastructure program to fund improved sporting facilities around Australia, with infrastructure grants of $10,000 to $500,000 available; and expanding the Local Sporting Champions program, supporting Wannon youth participating in sporting competitions.

Supporting regional students with improved access to Youth Allowance:

• From January 1, 2019, the parental income cut-off for the regional workforce self-supporting independence criteria will increase from $150,000 to $160,000; and the cut-off will also increase by $10,000 for each additional child in the family, recognising the extra costs of raising larger families.

Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who need to travel away for education:

• From January 1, 2019, the government will introduce safe-travel provisions for school students who undertake journeys using the ABSTUDY Fares Allowance; and from January 1, 2019, ABSTUDY Boarding Supplement will be integrated into the Living Allowance to create one common payment for boarding students.

We are guaranteeing the essential services Wannon families rely on, by increasing total health and hospitals funding by 30 percent; delivering a 50 percent average increase per student in fair, real needs-based school funding over the decade, and more child-care support to families who need it most.

Our More Choices for a Longer Life plan will help older residents live healthy and connected lives with increased financial and skills support and 14,000 more home care places.

Our plan for a stronger economy means that Australians can plan for their future with confidence. – Member for Wannon, Dan Tehan