West Australian Nationals leader Brendon Grylls has foreshadowed delays in projects promised in the Royalties for Regions scheme, insisting regional and city areas must bear an equal burden of the government's belt-tightening during the downturn.
"I don't want to get to a situation where I'm the belligerent one saying, 'Well, we [the Nationals] are immune to this'. We are not immune to it," Mr Grylls told The Australian Financial Review.
Mr Grylls, who is Minister for Regional Development, said the cuts would have to be "commensurate" with cuts to the rest of the budget, which would ensure some country programs went ahead.
He believed across-the-board cuts of between 3pc and 5pc were likely, equating to as much as $140 million off the $2.8 billion royalties budget for the next four years.
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