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The South Australian National Party has abandoned the people it claims to represent by criticising increased investment in regional communities by the State Liberals despite calls for a similar scheme.
The SA Nationals have been calling on Premier Rann to establish a ‘Royalties for Regions’ scheme since 2008.
But documents revealed under Freedom of Information (FoI) show the South Australian Leader of the National Party and Rann Government Minister, Karlene Maywald did not even take a formal policy proposal to Cabinet.
In October last year, the State Liberals announced that a Redmond Liberal Government would invest 25 percent of the state’s mining royalties into the Regional Development Infrastructure Fund (RDIF), originally established by the former Liberal Government in 1999.
The Budget’s Forward Estimates predict this policy would increase investment for regional infrastructure by $45 million in the first year – this is additional investment.
Shadow Regional Development Minister John Dawkins said in a baffling move the National Party was now criticising the Liberals’ increased investment in regional areas.
“Now as a National Party candidate, Wilbur Klein is leading the charge in criticising the Liberals’ policy despite it being similar to the one he is touting,” Mr Dawkins said.
“Current National Party MP Karlene Maywald and the Party’s President Jacky Abbott seem to share Mr Klein’s case of amnesia.
“This is the political party that says regional areas have been forgotten by the major parties but when the Liberals come out and back up our commitment to regional areas with actual money, they criticise it.
“Instead, they should be banging on the doors of Mike Rann and Kevin Foley demanding to know why they are not following the Liberals’ commitment to regional South Australia.
“They won’t, because we all know Karlene Maywald is a Rann Cabinet Minister and Labor spokesperson, who has only voted against the Rann Government just 5 times in 92 Divisions since the March 2006 election.
“Minister Maywald knows Treasurer Foley couldn’t give a fig about regional SA, describing the State Liberals comprehensive regional infrastructure boost to RDIF and the SA Nationals’ ‘Royalties for Regions’ schemes as ‘window dressing’.
“Karlene Maywald has said on countless occasions that she only took a Labor Cabinet position because it allowed her to get things done for regional SA - why then did she not take this policy position to Cabinet and why has she been unable to get the Rann Government to increase regional infrastructure funding?
“It appears the only way regional South Australians will see any increase in infrastructure will be to vote for the State Liberals.”
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