NSW Labor has abandoned coal mining communities across the State, with Parliamentary Budget Office costings showing its much hyped Transition Authorities will be a pale, under-funded version of the NSW Government’s Royalties for Rejuvenation Fund.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said Labor will shamelessly redirect money already set aside to diversify mining communities to establish another layer of bureaucracy to duplicate work already being done.
“The NSW Liberal and Nationals Government has committed $25 million each year towards the Royalties for Rejuvenation Fund, but Labor plans to short-change mining communities by raiding the Fund to pay for new staff at its Transition Authorities,” Mr Toole said.
“When the NSW Government established the Fund, the Labor member for Cessnock, Clayton Barr, described our $25 million annual commitment as “just a spit in the ocean”.
“What does he say to his own Labor colleagues who now plan to invest less into diversifying coal mining communities?”
Mr Toole added that the Mining and Energy Union dismissed the Royalties for Rejuvenation Fund commitment of $25 million annually, as “a piddling amount”, “spare change”, and a “cheap and insulting thought bubble.”
“I look forward to hearing what the Mining and Energy Union says to its Labor mates, knowing Labor will short-change mine workers to put more money into the pockets of bureaucrats,” he said.
The NSW Liberal and Nationals Government has established the Royalties for Rejuvenation Fund in legislation, supported by its own regulations.
The legislation was backed at the time by NSW Labor, but apparently with the view to re-purposing the Fund the moment it was established.
Mr Toole said expert panels across each of the four mining regions in NSW have been installed and now meet regularly to provide localised advice on ways to diversify those economies.
“Does Labor now plan to rip up this legislation in a duplicative and costly process to establish its Transition Authorities?
“What would this mean for the four expert panels which already meet regularly?
“And how much more money could Labor strip from the current $25 million allocation to the Royalties to Rejuvenation Fund to sacrifice mining communities and bloat the bureaucracy?
“Labor isn’t finished ripping funds from mining communities — with its attacks on the Regional Growth Fund, the Labor Party will take the axe to Resources for Regions Round 10.
“The biggest threat to the future of mining communities in NSW is a Labor-Greens Government.”
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