Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Here we have the once great National Party deserting the people of rural and regional Australia yet again—because, if you travel through rural and regional Australia, what is lacking most? Effective infrastructure. And where does the lack of infrastructure start? It lies in the absolute lack of effective broadband services right across rural and regional Australia. For 12 long years, those opposite had an opportunity to address that constituency’s need for broadband services, and they did practically absolutely nothing. All we had was one fund after another, with nothing really happening. As a consequence, there are second-rate, third-rate or fourth-rate services out there for rural and regional Australia, and they are unacceptable.

If you go to rural and regional Australia, you find the other thing that those there legitimately object to is the state of many of the roads. When you look at major roads for which there is a particular responsibility here, including the Bruce Highway, the response that we get from people in rural and regional Australia is, ‘Where is an effective long-term plan for dealing with these critical infrastructure and road transport needs?’ It is for these reasons that this government has decided: ‘Enough of the buck-passing; enough of the blame game. Let us get on with the business of building the nation.’ That is why we have established a Building Australia Fund, as the minister for infrastructure was just outlining in response to the previous question. We believe the national government has a responsibility to lead.

When I look at those opposite, particularly those representing that once great National Party—the party of Jack McEwen, the party of Doug Anthony and now the failed rump that it has become—it is time they stood up for the requirements—

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