MICHELLE ROWLAND MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CITIZENSHIP AND MULTICULTURALISM
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS
MEMBER FOR GREENWAY

GAI BRODTMANN MP
SHADOW PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR DEFENCE
MEMBER FOR CANBERRA

MEDIA RELEASE
 

SESELJA CAUGHT OUT AGAIN ON FUNDING CUTS

Shadow Minister for Citizenship and Multiculturalism, Michelle Rowland, has challenged ACT Senator Zed Seselja to front up to community organisations in the ACT and explain to them why he is still peddling mistruths about their fully-funded and allocated grants.

Speaking on radio today Senator Seselja once again falsely claimed that funding the Abbott Government cruelly snatched from community organisations wasn’t budgeted under the Building Multicultural Communities Program, saying:

 “The idea that it was fully funded is simply wrong.”

                                                2CC – THURSDAY 6 MARCH 2014

“Senator Seselja is either deliberately misleading dozens of community organisations in the ACT or is too incompetent to read Labor’s 2013/14 Budget[i] and the MYEFO document his Government prepared[ii],” Ms Rowland said.

“If he bothered to do his research he would be aware that the program was fully budgeted and the Abbott Government ripped $11.5 million out of the program in MYEFO – that’s why the funding is no longer there.”

Member for Canberra, Gai Brodtmann, said Senator Seselja should start being honest with Canberra’s community organisations about his Government’s cruel cuts.

“This morning Senator Seselja has again misled the good people of Canberra.

“The 2013-14 Budget papers and the Abbott Government’s own MYEFO papers clearly show this program was fully-funded. Senator Seselja’s claims otherwise are simply false.

“The fact is, it was the Abbott Government that chose to withdraw funding from these community organisations, and Senator Seselja needs to stop trying to shift the blame.

“He should instead apologise to the Canberrans he has misled and start fighting for the 27 community organisations in the ACT to receive the funds they were allocated.” 

THURSDAY, 6 MARCH 2014

MEDIA CONTACT: NICK TRAINOR 0407 078 138 (ROWLAND)

                              MADELEINE FIRTH 0422 664 772 (BRODTMANN)