2024-2025 Federal Budget - Regional Communities

Regional Communities

Building a Better Future Through Considered Infrastructure Investment

• $4.1 billion over seven years from 2024-25 for 65 new priority infrastructure projects across Australia under the Infrastructure Investment Program, including: - $1.9 billion for projects in Western Sydney, including $500.0 million for the Mamre Road Stage 2 Upgrade and $400.0 million for Elizabeth Drive - Priority Sections Upgrade
  • $300.0 million for the METRONET High-Capacity Signalling Program - Automatic Train Control - Stage 1 in Western Australia
  • $72.0 million for the Port Keats Road - Wadeye to Palumpa (Nganmarriyanga) in the Northern Territory
  • $134.5 million for the Mt Crosby Road Interchange Upgrade and $42.5 million for Bremer River Bridge (Westbound) Strengthening on the Warrego Highway in Queensland
  • $115.0 million for Zero Emission Buses Tranche 1 Infrastructure - Macquarie Park Depot in New South Wales
  • $80.0 million for the Lyell Highway - Granton to New Norfolk in Tasmania
  • $64.0 million for the Berrimah Road Duplication - Stuart Highway to Tiger Brennan Drive in the Northern Territory
• $10.1 billion over 11 years from 2023-24 for existing projects in the Infrastructure Investment Program, including:
  • $3.3 billion for North East Link in Victoria
  • $1.2 billion for the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line in Queensland
  • $1.4 billion for METRONET projects in Western Australia
  • $578.6 million for projects in New South Wales, including $112.0 million for the M1 Pacific Motorway Extension to Raymond Terrace
  • $431.7 million for the Coomera Connector Stage 1 (Coomera to Nerang) in Queensland
  • $133.6 million for projects in South Australia, including $100.0 million for the South Eastern Freeway Upgrade
  • $113.1 million for projects in Tasmania, including $50.0 million for the Mornington Roundabout Upgrade
• $1.7 billion in 2033-34 to continue existing road maintenance and safety programs, including:
  • $1.0 billion for the Roads to Recovery Program
  • $200.0 million for the Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program
  • $150.0 million for the Black Spot Program

Budget Paper No 2 p 144
Regional Ministerial Budget Statement p 71, 72
Media Release

Strengthening Medicare

The Government will provide $1.2 billion over five years from 2023-24($14.8 million per year ongoing) to strengthen Medicare by supporting earlier discharge from hospital for older Australians, improving access to essential services, modernising Australia's digital health infrastructure and ensuring the integrity and compliance of Medicare.
Funding to support older Australians through earlier discharge from hospital includes:

• $610.4 million over four years from 2024-25 for states and territories to invest in initiatives that address long-stay older patient challenges, unique to each jurisdiction
• $190.0 million over three years from 2025-26 for the extension and redesign of the Commonwealth's Transition Care Programme to provide short-term care of up to 12 weeks for older people after a hospital stay
• $56.8 million over five years from 2023-24 for the expansion of the Commonwealth's successful Acute to Residential Care Transition Service dementia program to transition long-stay patients with behavioural psychological symptoms of dementia out of hospital into a residential aged care home
• $24.9 million over two years from 2024-25 for the continuation of the Comprehensive Palliative Care in Aged Care program to support states to deliver specialist palliative care services in residential aged care.

Budget Speech p 12
Budget Paper No 2 p 128
Budget Overview p 43, 44
Easing cost-of-living pressures p 1

Northern Territory Homelands and Housing

The Government will provide $839.4 million over five years from 2023-24 (and $2.1 billion over ten years from 2024-25) to accelerate housing delivery in remote Northern Territory communities and increase investment in homelands. This will reduce overcrowding and improve housing quality, making significant progress under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. Funding includes:

• $698.4 million over four years from 2024-25 (and $2.0 billion over ten years from 2024-25) to enter into a 10-year remote housing agreement with the Northern Territory Government to reduce overcrowding in remote Northern Territory communities. The Northern Territory Government has committed to match the Commonwealth's remote housing investment, bringing the total investment to $4.0 billion
• $120.0 million over three years from 2024-25 to continue the delivery of urgent repairs and maintenance of existing housing and essential infrastructure through an extension of the Northern Territory Homelands Federation Funding Agreement
• $20.0 million in 2023-24 to deliver an additional 49 houses under the existing Remote Housing Northern Territory Federation Funding Agreement, in partnership with and jointly funded by the Northern Territory Government, delivering a total of 206 houses under the one-year agreement.

Budget Speech p 8
Budget Paper No 2 p 160
Budget Overview p 22
Women's Budget Statement p 26
Regional Ministerial Budget Statement p 85
Delivering a better deal for small businesses p 7
Media Release

Remote Jobs and Economic Development Program

The Government will provide $777.4 million over five years from 2023-24 (and $255.5 million per year ongoing) to establish the Remote Jobs and Economic Development Program, which will create 3,000 jobs in remote Australia and support income support recipients move into paid employment. Funding includes:

• $188.7 million over four years from 2024-25 (and $61.2 million per year ongoing) for a Community Jobs and Business Fund, to support community development and the creation of employment opportunities through funding capital, equipment and capacity building services
• $45.5 million over three years from 2024-25 to extend the current Community Development Program (CDP) provider arrangements from 31 October 2024 to 30 June 2025 - when a new remote employment services program will replace the current CDP provider arrangements - and provide supplementary funding to support the increased caseload following impacts of COVID-19, to provide continuity of support to participants who are not job-ready or able to commence employment under the Remote Jobs and Economic Development Program

The cost of this measure will be partially met by a reprioritisation of funding from the 2023-24 Budget measure titled Closing the Gap - further investment and within the existing resources of the National Indigenous Australians Agency.

Budget Paper No 2 p 162
Budget Overview p 54

Future Drought Fund - Better support for farmers and communities to manage drought and adapt to climate change

The Government will allocate $519.1 million over eight years from 2024-25 from the Future Drought Fund for initiatives that provide improved support to farmers and communities to manage drought and adapt to climate change. Funding includes:

• $132.0 million over eight years from 2024-25 to continue the Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hubs model to support activities to address the challenges of drought and climate variability in local areas
• $83.2 million over five years from 2024-25 to continue the Farm Business Resilience Program to provide farmers, farm workers and advisers with access to learning and development opportunities and continue the scholarship program
• $67.0 million over four years from 2025-26 for the next phase of the Regional Drought Resilience Planning program, with a greater focus on the implementation of activities in plans
• $60.3 million over six years from 2024-25 to continue and expand the Long Term Trials program to test drought and climate resilience farming practices and support the adoption of drought resilience innovations.

Budget Speech p 11
Budget Paper No 2 p 42
Budget Overview p 29
Regional Ministerial Budget Statement p 16

National Water Grid Fund - Responsible investment in water infrastructure for the regions

The Government will provide $174.6 million over six years from 2024-25 to deliver new water infrastructure projects, including:

• $119.6 million over six years from 2024-25 for five construction projects
• $26.1 million over three years from 2024-25 for 11 First Nations water infrastructure projects, including ten construction projects and one business case
• $18.1 million over four years from 2024-25 for nine business cases relating to potential new projects
• $10.7 million over three years from 2024-25 for 12 science projects.

The Government will also achieve savings of $200.0 million over four years from 2024-25 by redirecting uncommitted funding to support other Government priorities. The cost of new water infrastructure projects in this measure will be met by reallocating existing funding within the National Water Grid Fund and the $150.0 million allocated to improve water security for remote First Nations communities under the 2023-24 Budget measure titled Closing the Gap - further investment.

Budget Paper No 2 p 57
Budget Overview p 41
Media Release

Disaster support

The Government will provide $138.7 million over four years from 2024-25 (and $18.9 million per year ongoing) to improve Australia's preparedness to respond to all-hazard disasters and resilience to natural hazards. Funding includes:

• $73.3 million over four years from 2024-25 (and $18.9 million per year ongoing) to further uplift the National Emergency Management Agency's capacity to support Australians before, during and following a disaster
• $35.0 million over two years from 2024-25 to support the National Aerial Firefighting Centre to bolster the national aerial firefighting fleet and to undertake a review to identify cost-effective options for long-term aerial capability.

Budget Paper No 2 p 135
Budget Overview p 41
Regional Ministerial Budget Statement p 62
Media Release

National Legal Assistance Partnership

The Government will provide additional funding of $44.1 million in 2024-25 to support the National Legal Assistance Partnership and Family Violence Prevention Legal Services, including one-year indexation supplementation to the funding for Legal Aid Commissions, Community Legal Centres and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services, and additional funding to reduce community legal sector pay disparity. The Treasury manages Commonwealth payments to the states and territories.

Budget Paper No 2 p 51
Regional Ministerial Budget Statement p 19
Media Release

Supporting transport priorities

The Government will provide $237.7 million over seven years from 2023-24 (and $2.3 million per year ongoing) to support aviation, road, rail and maritime transport priorities, including:

• $101.9 million over five years from 2024-25 (and $0.8 million per year ongoing) to extend the Remote Airstrip Upgrade Program and the Regional Airports Program for two additional rounds, and continue the Remote Aerodrome Inspection Programme to improve aviation safety and access at remote airstrips and regional airports.
• $32.0 million over six years from 2024-25 to improve the National Road Safety Data Hub and support a National Road Safety Education and Awareness Campaign.

Budget Speech p 8
Budget Paper No 2 p 153
Budget Overview p 24
Regional Ministerial Budget Statement p 74
Media Release

Supporting connectivity, media and communications

The Government will continue to support media sustainability and deliver communications priorities with $78.9 million over five years from 2024-25 (and $7.4 million per year ongoing). Funding includes:

• $43.2 million over five years from 2024-25 (and $5.9 million per year ongoing) to support the delivery of communications priorities, including responding to emerging and evolving online harms, boosting regional connectivity, digital inclusion and communications resilience.

Budget Paper No 2 p 152
Budget Overview p 26
Regional Ministerial Budget Statement p 80
Media Release