Tuesday night's federal budget included a whopping $20 billion for regional Australia, but some local mayors and voters say directing the lion's share of it to ports, roads, and dams misses the mark.
For example, $280 million has been earmarked for infrastructure work at Port Hedland's Lumsden Point in Western Australia.
Port Hedland Mayor Peter Carter welcomed the money but said it could be hard to get the work done given the Pilbara's dire labour, housing, and childcare shortages.
"We need so many houses, we're so far behind the eight ball. I mean, what comes first, the chicken or the egg?" he said.
North and Central Queensland are being showered with infrastructure money too.
But at Tannum Sands, south of Gladstone, single mother Melanie Richardson feared she would soon be homeless because the National Rental Affordability Scheme was ending.
"As everyone knows, there's no community housing," she said.
'Turbocharging' already-turbocharged regions
The regional budget war chest comes in the wake of Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce reluctantly agreeing to back the federal government's target of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The new funding adds to billions of dollars of regional investment announced in this year's federal budget, including:
- $7 billion for new dams
- An additional $2 billion for the Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund (NAIF)
- $1.3 billion for telecommunications, including $811 million for mobile connectivity
- $2 billion for existing measures to boost regional manufacturing and education
As much as $7.1 billion was carved out for "turbocharging" four regions the government acknowledges already "creates wealth" for the nation.
They include the Pilbara, North and Central Queensland, the Northern Territory, and the Hunter region in New South Wales.
It's not lost on Shadow Infrastructure Minister Catherine King that seats in some of these regions will be hotly contested during the upcoming federal election.
"We know the National Party and the Morrison government have got form when it comes to pork-barrelling in the context of an election campaign," she said.
Geography challenged
Port Hedland Mayor Peter Carter warned such large sums of money should be spent "carefully," noting a media release Mr Joyce issued on Tuesday night that listed $400 million dollars for sealing the Tanami Road as a funding item for the Pilbara.
The Tanami Road is not in the Pilbara, and instead connects the Northern Territory to WA's Kimberley.
"I mean, $400 million for a road in the Pilbara would be nice. But the Tanami track is not in the Pilbara.
"You need to look at it [budget spending] very, very carefully, don't just throw money away. Have a look at the community to see exactly where it needs to go."
The Northern Territory Road Transport Association's Louise Belato welcomed the money.
"Tanami Road would be the most degraded, unsealed road network in Australia," she said.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the four regions sharing the $7.1 billion had been selected based on their proximity to ports.
"The regions are a priority for the Coalition. We are agreed, the Liberals and Nationals, that our regions are hubs for economic growth for jobs, for investment, and for benefiting from the growing middle class in our region," he said.