Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is once again an honour to rise in this place to talk and to support the wonderful speeches that have come before mine as we have welcomed the new members to this place and also as we have heard those members who are in their second, third or fourth terms—and for some a lot longer--and to hear what they have to say as we start this parliament.

For me, the 2013 election was really about two things. It was about the future direction of the nation, and it was about what I could achieve with the local community in my electorate of Wannon. I am thrilled to be able to say that on both those points we have been successful. We have a new government—and, oh boy, did we need that new government. We have started the process of heading this country in the right direction again, and that means very good things also for my local electorate.

I will pause for a moment just to concentrate on the specific things it will mean for my electorate, because the Abbott government made some important commitments to the electorate of Wannon if it was successful in winning government, and I would like to detail them. The first was a commitment, which will be honoured—and I was pleased that the Minister for Health, in his first answer to a question in question time, reassured my local community of this—that $10 million would be delivered for an integrated cancer care centre for western Victoria. Now, this has been a community-driven campaign. It has been driven by some of the most wonderful community minded people you would come across. (Quorum formed) It is befitting that Labor have had to call a quorum, because I know what I was saying was dicing them up, cutting them to pieces. I must say that they have felt the need to try and interrupt a speech on behalf of my electorate and on behalf of the nation. That they have had to resort to this tactic says a lot. I see the former minister for health is in the chamber. I was talking about Peter's Project and the $10 million—

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