A new federal initiative to encourage more migrants to settle regionally needs more funding to ensure towns have the infrastructure to cater for population growth, Barnaby Joyce says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
This week, the prime minister Scott Morrison announced the government would reduce the country's yearly migration intake by 15 per cent, while pushing more migrants to regional areas.
He also announced two new regional visas for skilled workers and scholarships to attract international students to regional universities.
READ MORE:
New England MP Barnaby Joyce welcomed the announcement, but he said regional towns would need strategic investment to be able to sustain any rapid population growth.
He also said it could be advantageous for Tamworth in its push to establish a university campus and expand its water supply.
"They talk about people going to universities in regional areas, sure, we'll need money for universities," he said.
"I believe that should help Tamworth as we drive forward for our plans here.
"They're going to need water infrastructure, so we'll need further money for dams to underpin the water infrastructure.
"I am happy for decent people to move to regional areas, but it has got to come with an investment from the government for the infrastructure to support it."
The Morrison government announcement included the investment of "$75 billion in road, rail and air infrastructure across the country".
The policy was primarily aimed at reducing congestion in the major cities, but it was hoped to stimulate growth in the regions.
"It's important that we have the opportunity for people to go where they are needed," Mr Morrison said.
"Over 45,000 job vacancies in regional Australia ... have been put to the government, through the migration programme and the need to have more workers in those areas.
"So it's important that we take the opportunity for our migration programme to play its role in seizing those opportunities."
Jacob McArthur
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
