TRANSCRIPT: INTERVIEW WITH 2SM, 24 December 2024

Subjects: Stronger Communities Program, Vanuatu earthquake update, Hume Highway bus crash

E&OE 

STARTS: 1.46pm

ENDS: 1.54pm

INTERVIEWER:

Well what does this latest proposal mean for the Riverina?

MICHAEL McCORMACK MP:

Well, what this means is that 20 organisations in the electorate – the Riverina Electorate, can apply for funding between $2500 and $20,000 and they can get up to 100% of eligible project costs. So whether it's a not-for-profit, whether it's a Girl Guides, whether it's the Scouts, whether it's a Rotary Club or Lions Club, there are many of these volunteer organisations dotted right across the Riverina Electorate and they're all eligible to apply - and I'd strongly encourage them to do just that.

We're very much looking for expressions of interest for round nine of the Stronger Communities Program. It's a good program it’s well really well in the past, and it's given those not for profits, the opportunity to get funding that they would otherwise have to sell a lot of raffles, a lot of chook meat, train tickets in a pub on a Friday night to earn that sort of money. So up to $20,000, they can get all of the funding for a project for that and it's just a good way of raising funds without having to go to a hell of a lot of work on a Friday night in a local hotel.

INTERVIEWER:

'It sounds like an amazing initiative, are any groups hesitant to apply for funding? What is the messaging or what would you say to them?

MICHAEL McCORMACK MP:

You have got to be in it to win it. And, you know, I look at the previous grants that we've allocated disabled car parks for the Cootamundra men's sheds, men's shed improvements to the footy oval for Australian Football at Forbes, the maintenance of the Grenfell Historical Museum. You know, there have been so many good little grants right across the Riverina area that have just meant the world of difference for those volunteer organisations. Volunteering well, it's hard to actually get people to do it, the numbers in some clubs, and some organisations are dwindling. So this is a really good way that they can be rewarded for their volunteering hours and their efforts by applying for these grants, by putting in an expression of interest. And indeed, it'll be very, very seriously looked at. We've got $150,000 to fund small capital projects and it's a good way of actually funding one of those jobs that an organisation may well have been putting off because they simply haven't had the finance.

INTERVIEWER:

Yeah, for sure. In terms of benefiting the community, do you expect to see lots of members of the community rallying around organisations and trying to get them to apply? Is that something you'd like to see?

MICHAEL McCORMACK MP:

Well, look, I know we've got a waiting list of organizations who just look out for expressions of interest, for applications for these sorts of grants to come up and we always notify them. But let me tell you, they were always oversubscribed. It will be difficult to fit all the grant applications into $150,000.

And that's the case with all country electorates, they've got so many organisations, and they are big electorates. These country electorates and regional people deserve the very best. They've got the very best in the volunteers who run these, whether they are show society, sporting clubs and organisations which do a world of good and make a world of difference.

But it's hard to raise funds and it's getting increasingly difficult with the cost-of-living crisis. It is actually difficult to raise funds, it's becoming tougher and that's why the Stronger Communities Program already had 8 rounds. So it's obviously a successful program and so for those clubs, those organisations, to be able to fund some of those projects and programs that they've been putting off, now is their opportunity.

So they can contact my office, they can go on to the website, my parliamentary website, have a look, just Google my name – it's not hard to find. All the information as to how they can apply and they have only until the 21st of February, so they haven't got a whole lot of time.

But look, they've got enough time to get those applications in and hopefully, they can get that grant across the line.

INTERVIEWER:

Anything else to add?

MICHAEL McCORMACK MP:

Oh, look, I'll just add that work continues for our DFAT, our Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, now Australian Defence Force people in Vanuatu.

I appreciate that it's very much a recovery phase now from Tuesday's earthquake. It was a terrible situation, with quite a number of people dead. But in the worst of times, you see the best of Australians helping out our Pacific friends. Thank you to those wonderful people who went across on the C-130s and C-17s to support Australian foreign aid efforts to help Vanuatu get back on its feet.

It will be quite some months before they fully recover the capital. Port Vila was absolutely smashed, particularly down near the wharf. The airport was maintaining only limited flights in and out and so that made things very, very difficult. But our ADF was supporting local police, our Defence people always, always at their best in times like this. And of course, our Defence officials and people were first on hand to provide that necessary support for Vanuatu.

One other thing I would say is that road safety is of paramount importance, and we had a situation early last Saturday morning where a bus and a truck, unfortunately, had a crash near Kyeamba on the Hume Highway.

This has led to the death of the bus driver and a number of people injured, one person broke their leg and many of the passengers on the bus were not wearing seatbelts. It is compulsory in New South Wales to wear seatbelts where they're fitted. I know all buses don't have seatbelts, but modern vehicles do, modern buses do.

I think it's something that bus manufacturers may now need to look at given the Greta accident in June 2013, given this crash as well. If there is a seatbelt in a bus, for goodness’s sake, click it in – it is the law. It is difficult for police to make sure that everybody on a bus is wearing seatbelts, it's difficult enough for the bus driver of course, bus drivers always tell their passengers when they are seated to apply the seatbelts. But, getting people to buckle up, for some reason I can’t understand why, it is difficult. But it is the law, and you may well save yourself a very serious injury or death. And it is a matter of life and death.

If you are travelling on a bus this Christmas holidays or anytime, please put the seatbelt on, click and clack.

INTERVIEWER:

These are very, very powerful and important messages. Thank you so much for those.

MICHAEL McCORMACK MP:

All the very best, and have a happy Christmas.

Emma Sullivan