It is with great pleasure that I open Australia’s first Rural Transaction Centre in Eugowra, New South Wales.
I congratulate the people of Eugowra on their initiative in putting together an excellent proposal and working with the Federal Government to bring services back to their town.
The Rural Transaction Centres will provide access to a range of services that have disappeared from many small, regional communities.
Those services include banking, Medicare Easyclaim and Centrelink as well as training and business support. Importantly, each community selects the services it needs.
It is part of the government’s strategy to rebuild regional Australia and to give regional communities the tools they need to build their futures.
The Coalition Government is playing an active role in taking services back to regional Australia in a number of areas. As well as transaction services we are working to improve medical and legal services in the bush.
The Federal Government will support up to 500 Rural Transaction Centres around Australia as part of a $70m programme. The development of Rural Transaction Centres was a key election commitment in 1998 and I am proud to officially open the first of many.
29 October 1999