The Budget reveals a shift in grants to non-government community bodies and a greater empahsis on user pays.
Precisely which non-government grant recipients will lose and which will gain is not revealed. Under the let-the-managers-manage approach, it may be left to departments to deal with.
The losers are in the portfolios of arts and heritage (21 per cent or $1.2 million), government schools (38, $320,000), housing (17, $20,000) and conservation (2, $10,000).
The winners are in training and business (108, $2m), ), business and regional development (15, $1.3), health promotion (153, $1.15m), family support (4, $0.5m) and private schools (about 7 per cent, precise amounts are hard to calculate from the papers).
The Budget has generally avoided naming specific grant recipients unlike previous Budgets, but like previous Budgets has avoided naming recipients whose grants have been cut. It is likely that as grants dry up, those affected will protest loudly.
The generally pattern of grant shifting appears to be towards business, health and private schools and away from culture, public housing and conservation. It is in line with the Liberal Party’s waste-watch approach in Opposition.
The Budget papers also reveal a marked reduction in subsidies or free goods and service provision in some portfolios, reflecting a greater move to user pays.
(DO NOT CUT THIS PAR!!!!!) To a large extent the grants and subsidies reflect the Budget’s philosophy: big on user pays, business, getting departments to make decisions within bottom-line edicts, private schools and health promotion and a contraction of money in other areas.
In urban services the cut to subsidies and free services is 24 per cent or $4.2 million down to $13.4 million; in environment, land and planning subsidies are cut by 50 per cent to $743,000; in art and heritage 26 per cent to $1.9 million; tourism 68 per cent to $156,000.
However, the government subsidy of goods in health, the CIT and the Attorney-General’s Department all increase. Health is up 22 per cent to $2.07 million.