From a total expenditure of Lm858,872,000, Gozo will get Lm20,519,200, or almost 2.4 per cent in the Budget for 2006. The biggest chunk of this sum will be spent on salaries.
An additional Lm500,000 has been provided over the amount allocated in last year's Budget for the improvement of roads and related infrastructure to strengthen the value of the Gozitan tourist product. But the expenditure on EU projects is expected to be less than originally anticipated. The tenders for the imminent reconstruction of the arterial roads - Rabat to San Lawrenz, Triq l-Imgarr, and Triq Xlendi - to be financed through these much expected EU funds, have been issued.
We hope that there will be no further delays and the works on these roads will be initiated as soon as possible so that the tourist season will not be disturbed unnecessarily.
One would have expected a deadline for the Mgarr terminal to be established in the Budget; although new projects were mentioned no such date has been announced. We hope that this eyesore will not be another unfulfilled promise.
Unfortunately the Budget for 2006 does not indicate how the Gozitan economy is going to be revived and how new investments may create the much needed job opportunities for our younger generation. Gozitan students have been relieved thanks to higher allowances but they also need job opportunities in Gozo.
We need to know what stage the work on the drainage treatment plant has reached. According to the Budget Speech, this project is still in its preliminary phase. Again, no deadline has been fixed.
We were also told that next year Government will start work on the building of a waste transfer station in Gozo. Such projects are more than welcome as they will upgrade our environment, but the problem is the deadline. We have been promised other projects year after year which never even began. What happened, for example, to the underground parking project in Victoria?
Throughout the year, the Malta Tourism Authority has been restructured to enable it to plan for the future as well as to respond to challenges more effectively. At this stage do we know what plans the MTA has for Gozo? Is there a directorate within the tourism authority where Gozo's interests are truly represented? How much of the Lm600,000 previously allocated to administration expenses for the marketing of Malta and Gozo, is our island actually receiving?
The government has decided that a golf course should be built in Gozo and the Opposition seems to agree. Furthermore, Government believes that certain other amenities, including a conference centre as well as a casino and a yacht marina, are needed to upgrade Gozo's tourist seems appeal, and for this purpose the Government will support every initiative towards this goal. Naturally, environmental impact is being considered and there is going to be tough opposition to the golf course project.
Government is determined to include Gozo in the cruise liner industry. This is a new idea which may reap direct benefits for the Gozitans. It is intended that next year, Government will hold discussions with operators to explore how cruise liners can be brought to Gozo. If such discussions fail to provide the desired results the Prime Minister has said that the government will weigh alternative options of how this goal can be met.
Agro-tourism is another aspect that Gozo benefits from due to the island's natural beauty and rural ambience. This should constitute the backbone of Gozo's tourist product.
We are pleased to note that according to the Prime Minister, Gozo will be represented directly on the Working Group which will develop a strategy for agro-tourism that will include new projects based on agriculture and crafts.
Such initiatives in agro-tourism have already been taken on a small scale by a few local councils. These initiatives should be encouraged and incorporated in the national plan for agro-tourism.
In this Budget, there are a number of attractive promises for Gozo but it lacks specific target dates for the projects and no concrete measures on how to create new jobs in Gozo.