The Federal Budget on Tuesday night delivered on some of her key priorities but still falls short on addressing the basic needs and long-term prosperity of regional Australia, says the Federal Member for Indi, Helen Haines.

A centrepiece of housing investment in the 2026 Federal Budget includes a $2 billion Local Infrastructure Fund to build enabling infrastructure, with a guarantee that 25 per cent of funding will go to regional Australia – an initiative led by Dr Haines and announced by the government over the weekend.

“Land isn’t the handbrake on housing supply in the regions, it’s the critical enabling infrastructure that unlocks more supply,” said Dr Haines.

Bold tax reforms welcomed

“I’m very pleased to see this commitment in the budget, with Treasury forecasting this funding will literally pave the way for tens of thousands of new homes to be built around Australia. This a major win.”

When outlining her priorities with the Treasurer ahead of the budget, Dr Haines had urged the government to deliver meaningful tax reforms, which she welcomed.

“These capital gains tax and negative gearing reforms are substantive changes that will help younger Australian enter the housing market and I congratulate the government on taking a bold decision,” she said.

Dr Haines welcomed further funding allocated to the Growing Regions infrastructure program, however she said the government’s fifth budget once again fails to deliver for regional Australia’s long-term future.

“There is no money tree and the government needed to find savings somewhere but that should not come at the expense of regional Australians,” she said.

“Every line in this budget was a choice and this was clearly a restrained budget. However, while the government has made some welcome reforms, it has yet again fundamentally failed to invest in the communities that power and feed the nation.

“In the regions, we don’t ask for special treatment – just the same opportunities as those in the cities and a fair go.”

Dr Haines said the government left regional Australia wanting and heavily criticised its Regional Ministerial Budget Statement, saying it could have been a ‘post it note’.

“The government has failed to substantially invest in telecommunications and targeted regional health,” Dr Haines said.

“These are basic services that city people take for granted, while we battle for connectivity, drive on dangerous roads and have poorer health outcomes.

“Regional Australians are too often last to get and the first to lose and the Federal government has not done enough to address pain and frustration rural and regional people are feeling.”

Dr Haines said the government’s decision not to tax Australia’s gas exports was a missed opportunity to boost our revenue and invest in the regions.

“A key pillar of this budget is intergenerational equity,” she said.

“We need to see this same ambition applied to regional Australia.”