FRPRESS STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER,
THE HON. E. G. WHITLAM, M. P.,
ON HIS VISIT TO PARKES, N. S. W.,
17 MAY 1975
Parkes is typical of the country towns and
cities benefiting from the policies of the Australian
Government. For toro long people in country tow n s
have been putting up with services and amenities inferior
to those in the capital cities. The Labor Government is
determined that townspeople in the country will enjoy a
standard of living equal to the best in Australia.
Our opponents seem to think that a
Government's responsibility in country areas ends with
the farmer, the man on the land. Certainly we recognise
that prosperity in country areas depends largely on a
prosperous rural community. At the same time, we are
not going to neglect the millions of Australians
employees and families who live in towns like Parkes.
They deserve the same standards of education, the same
standards of housing, the same opportunities for health
and recreation as Australians in the major cities.
One of the first acts of this Government
was to empower the Grants Commission to recommend
W assistance for local authorities. In this way the
Grants Commission will be able to alleviate inequalities
between regions, in the same way that it has acted to
remove inequalities between the States. In its first
set of recommendations, the Commission allocated more than
$ 21 million for local councils in New South Wales. Parkes
Municipal Council received $ 76,000 for 1974-75.
That money has been provided free of interest,
as a non-repayable grant. It can be used as the council
sees fit for-the benefit of the people of Parkes.
Under the Regional Employment Development
Scheme, the Australian Government has approved
assistance to the Parkes Municipality amounting to
$ 395,000 to date. The Parkes District Hospital has
received REDS grants totalling $ 253,000 for 7 projects
which have created 73 new jobs. Shires within the
Parkes Employment Office Area have received Government
assistance under REDS totalling $ 765,000. / 2
e -2-
Grants to Parkes and Forbes since 1972
for aged persons' homes and hostels total $ 1,497,171.
The pre-school in Dalton Street, Parkes,
has qualified for Australian Government recurrent
assistance since January 1974.,' In the present
financial year the school is receiving $ 4491. Recurrent
grants totalling more than $ 41,000 have been made
since January 1973 to 5 non-government schools in'
Parkes Holy Family Primary School, Marist Borthers'
Primary School, St Joseph's Infants School,
Westview Special School and Our Lady of Mercy College.
As part of its program to improve health
care sercvices throughout Australi1a, the Goverrnment is
establishing a Community Health Resources Centre to
serve Parkes, Cowra, Forbes and Wlest Wyalong. The
centre Will recruit and manage a team of nurses and
other health workers to care for people and staff
existing baby health centres. The project has been
allocated $ 89,690 this financial year.