That is how NSW member for Murray Helen Dalton has responded to this week’s NSW Budget.
Mrs Dalton said some funding has been announced specifically for the electorate, but she said the people of Murray were expecting a lot more.
A lot of the funding for Murray has been allocated for the Griffith region.
The only Deniliquin specific project mentioned in the budget is a commitment to deliver the previously announced new preschool at Deniliquin South School.
It is one of 100 new preschools to be built across NSW by 2027, and one of five in the Murray electorate, representing a total NSW Government investment of $769 million.
Specific details about the Deniliquin project are yet to be released.
Mrs Dalton said areas of need to miss out in the budget include upgrades to rural and remote roads and infrastructure, additional funding for Deniliquin Airport and Pooncarie airstrip, the Pooncarie Weir and Fish Trap, and the Tooleybuc Bridge which she says “requires a major upgrade”.
Mrs Dalton said while the budget does include some positive outcomes in the areas of health and education - including recommitting $250 million for Griffith Hospital and $25 million for Finley Hospital, and completion of the gymnasiums for both Wade and Griffith sites of Murrumbidgee Regional High School - there are still gaps that need addressing.
She said more resources were required across the electorate, especially when it comes to support for healthcare workers.
“Hospitals such as Leeton are still in desperate need of two full-time doctors and Deniliquin is also desperate for more resources to continue as a medical hub for communities which include Hay, Jerilderie, Moulamein, Mathoura, Tocumwal and Cobram,” she said.
As outlined in its ‘Our Plan for Regional NSW’ document, the NSW Government’s key budget announcements include:
• $200.1 million to increase key health worker accommodation across rural and regional NSW.
• $945.7 million to address biosecurity threats, including $13.1 million for the continuation of the Feral Pig and Other Pest Management Control program.
• $307.2 million to improve water security for regional communities and industries, and the environment.
• $5.7 billion for disaster recovery, including $3.3 billion in joint funding with the Australian Government to rebuild road and transport infrastructure damaged during natural disasters.
• $290 million additional funding for the Towards Zero Safer Roads Program, bringing the total investment to $2.8 billion.
• $400 million for the Regional Development Trust, including an additional $50 million in this budget.
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