Lithgow’s political representatives are in two totally different mindsets about the federal budget’s impact on the LGA.
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Federal member for Calare Andrew Gee has labelled the 2018/19 budget, announced on Tuesday night, as “optimistic”, saying Lithgow would secure benefits from the government’s focus on road infrastructure and tax relief.
“This optimistic budget is looking forward to good economic times ahead. It augers well for strong local economic growth,” Mr Gee said.
Mayor Stephen Lesslie said it missed the mark for Lithgow residents.
“It was a budget targeted at marginal city electorates with no mention of employment generation in regional areas, no mention of federal government departments moving to regional areas and all the infrastructure developments for the capital cities,” Mayor Lesslie said.
“All in all I think it was a bit of a wimp.”
Mr Gee said he believed the announcement of the $3.5 billion Roads of Strategic Importance funding would offer opportunities to improve the Bells Line of Road.
“The long term vision would be a faster route through the mountains, but short term would be to keep improvements happening on the Bells Line of Road,” he said.
The pool of money is slated to go towards routes used for freight and tourism. $2 billion of the pool has already been allocated, largely going towards projects outside of NSW.
Mr Gee said he had brought the Bells Line of Road to the attention of the federal government.
Two years ago he brought then Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester to view the Bells of Line of Road improvements, he said.
“I wanted him to see how important that road link is – as Lithgow is the gateway to the Central West,” he said.
“He said he didn’t have a big bucket of money to spend on it and I told him he’d have to find one.
“To his credit, he went away and worked on it for a couple of years.”
He said the project had continued to get attention from the new minister, Michael McCormack.
The member for Calare also said the tax relief package would be an important initiative for Lithgow families, with those on low incomes receiving a $200 tax cut and those on middle incomes receiving a $530 cut.
Mayor Stephen Lesslie said, however, the focus on tax would not make a difference for Lithgow residents “really in need of support”.
“The budget is all focused around tax cuts, it doesn’t help those without a job, and it doesn’t help those on a low wage because the tax cuts are so pitiful. It also doesn’t help those on penalty rates get by.”
He said the government’s decision to not increase the Newstart Allowance, which is around $275 a week, would hurt Lithgow.
“The Newstart Allowance at the moment is so low that it actually prevents people getting jobs because they don’t have the money to take themselves to a job interview, buy a decent shirt or get a haircut. All things you would automatically do if you were looking for a job.
“In areas of high unemployment it also means there’s no disposable income in the town. So your retail businesses suffer. We’re badly affected.”
Mr Lesslie welcomed the measures targeted at older workers and pensioners, but labelled the budget as generally disappointing.
“It didn’t hit the big issues as far as I am concerned,” he said.
MP Paul Toole said he was looking forward to further detail on the medical network funding for medical schools located in the Murray Darling region.
“I am a strong believer in young doctors living and training in the country - I believe it is a way to ensure we have more doctors practicing in regional areas," he said.
