Last night the Federal Labor Opposition Leader, the Hon Bill Shorten MP delivered his Party’s Budget reply to Parliament. Further details are expected to be released during the election campaign but some of the issues in the Budget Reply of interest to local government include:
- Larger taxation cuts to lower income workers;
- Transport plans and projects in every State;
- Lifting the cap on staffing numbers in the National Disability Insurance Agency;
- Supporting education and health funding (additional $2.3 billion funding for cancer research and treatment);
- Continued universal access to preschool for 3 and 4 year-olds for a further 2 years;
- Changing negative gearing rules;
- $10m to support regional news ;
- Restoring the health of Murray-Darling Basin;
- Investing in eliminating mobile phone black spots;
- Funding for TAFE for apprenticeships; and
- Climate change action.
Labor has previously released its budget position on a National Waste Strategy which allocates $290 million to cut waste and handling for a cleaner Australia which includes various measures such as:
- National Container Deposit Scheme;
- National Waste Commissioner; and
- Investing in the domestic recycling industry –$60 million for a National Recycling Fund. This will fund projects to encourage recycling, including funding for local government recycling facilities.
Posted 5 April, 2019