When it comes to working out what “regional” means, the government simply has no single definition.
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Instead, will vary from one funding program to the next.
That’s the answer to a question without notice in parliament from Keira MP Ryan Park to Deputy Premier John Barilaro.
The ongoing issue of what is and isn't “regional” flared up a few months ago during a debate on where the proceeds from the Snowy Hydro sale would be spent.
Tagged the Regional Growth Fund, it was earmarked for regional areas, which Mr Barilaro said in parliament would not include Wollongong.
In his question without notice, Mr Park asked what definition of regional NSW the Deputy Premier was using.
The answer? There was no standard definition when it came to deciding what was regional and what wasn’t.
“There is no standard methodology for defining a Local Government Area as metropolitan or regional,” a spokeswoman for Mr Barilaro said.
“Agencies consider individual community needs and characteristics, as they relate to specific programs, funds or projects.
“These decisions are measured and considered.”
The spokeswoman said the growth fund used the same definition as Infrastructure NSW’s Restart NSW.
That definition sees regional areas as those “outside of Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong”.
“This definition is used for all programs funded from Restart NSW, of which regional NSW receives 30 per cent and Metropolitan areas receive 70 per cent,” she said.
“Wollongong is therefore eligible for the lion’s share of the fund as, like Newcastle, it is classified as a metropolitan area by the Restart NSW Fund Act.”