An abundance of applications has been blamed for Orange City Council only receiving a portion of requested funding for lighting through the Australian government's Safer Communities Fund.
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The council applied for $1 million to fund the installation of 142 LED pedestrian footpath lights and CCTV in the Orange CBD.
However, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton only granted $200,000 sparking a slinging match between Labor and the Coalition about the shortfall.
Labor Senator Tony Sheldon said the $800,000 shortfall would only enable the council to install 10 light poles.
He said Mr Dutton sent the money that should have been making the people of Orange safer to marginal electorates.
"The Liberals stripped $800,000 from the Orange community for their own marginal seats," Mr Sheldon said.
"The electorate of Calare is being taken for granted by the Liberals and Nationals in Government.
"This government clearly doesn't care about the safety of Orange residents - and Orange deserves better."
A spokesman from Mr Sheldon's office said $400,000 was also stripped from an application made by Bathurst Regional Council.
However, a typo in a press release issued by the senator's office said the council applied for $4 million in funding and Nationals member and Federal Member for Calare Andrew Gee hit out against the error.
"If you look at the actual document, the figure of $4 million doesn't appear and Orange City Council never applied for $4 million," Mr Gee said.
"It's actually $1 million. That's a very sloppy claim by Labor or worse."
However, Mr Gee said he also wants to see the region get as much grant money as possible and will fight for every last dollar.
"I have asked the minister why the figure of $1 million was reduced to $200,000," Mr Gee said.
"His answer was that the fund was very heavily oversubscribed by $41.6 million.
Mr Gee said there was $17.1 million available in the fund but there were $58.7 million worth of applications, so the amounts were reallocated to increase the total number of projects funded by 38.
"While I would have preferred $1 million straight up, Orange City Council hasn't raised this funding issue with me and it has been one of the strongest performers in the region for funding under the Safer Communities Program, awarded funding every year for the past three under this program," Mr Gee said.
He said the council's total haul under the program so far is $1,056,933, comprised of: $471,681 in 2018, $200,000 in 2019 and $385,252.00 in 2020.
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Tanya Marschke
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
