Patrick Secker (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am not answering it. In actual fact we have proved that we did not need that constitutional recognition to deal directly with local government. We have proved with the Road to Recovery program that we do deal well with local government. Because we do not have that constitutional recognition, it does not mean that we cannot actually achieve a lot with local government. In fact, Regional Partnerships is a great example. I know that the Labor opposition opposed it and said it was a rort for rural areas. But it has actually been a great way of having partnerships between federal government, state governments, local governments and local community.

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