Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on this matter of public importance. Let me start by saying that it is a bit rich for those opposite to question this government's commitment to rural and regional Australia, when the opposition leader, in his budget-in-reply speech, made no mention of supporting people in the bush. Actually, he made no mention of supporting any Australians.

My electorate of Durack is made up of 47 councils, and every one of those councils is based in what this government would deem a rural or regional area. Therefore I think it is safe to say that I understand the needs of these areas, unlike the Leader of the Opposition—and perhaps we can throw the deputy leader in there at the same time. I note that this government has done what it can to support my Durack constituents. I also want to say that it is a bit rich for the member for Perth—and, yes, we cannot quite understand what rural and regional area she is referring to—to discuss the lack of funding for child and family centres in the Kimberley when Labor failed to provide the long-term funding that was needed for these very important Aboriginal family centres. While I am at it, let's talk about the member for Richmond. Let me assure you that this government is supporting my constituents while those opposite continue to criticise the necessary budget measures that the Treasurer and the Prime Minister had to implement to get this country back on track—not just rural and regional areas but also urban areas.

Let me repeat: we are getting this country back on track, because those opposite put Australia on a path of waste—waste which has left every Australian with five record deficits and $123 billion in future deficits. Instead of letting this government get on with the job that it is tasked with—creating a sustainable and prosperous Australia for all Australians—those opposite continue to make these false statements. Rural and regional Australia, I am pleased to say, is very much at the forefront of this government's mind and the mind of the Prime Minister. That is why key budget measures were implemented to enhance the regions and it is why this government went to the last election in September with a policy to develop Northern Australia. I am pleased to say that I am a member of the Northern Australian committee, which has been working hard over the past couple of months to conduct inquiries across Northern Australia before developing the white paper.

A key industry in Northern Australia—and therefore in Durack—is agriculture. Recently we have seen weather conditions that have gone from one extreme to the other: drought to flooding. That is why this government is committed to supporting our farmers and pastoralists through such funding measures as the drought assistance package and the concessional loan scheme.

This government has also implemented other funding measures in the budget to support our agriculture industry. We have heard from the Minister for Agriculture so I will not repeat it all, but there is some $100 million with respect to grants programs for improvements in technology, $20 million to build a stronger biosecurity and quarantine system, another $15 million to support small exporters, and the list goes on.

This government's commitment to rural and regional Australia did not, however, stop with agriculture. In the budget Durack, my electorate, received $850 million for local infrastructure projects, including much-needed upgrades to the Great Northern Highway, the North West Coastal Highway and the commencement of the feasibility study on the PortLink Inland Freight Corridor concept plan, and it goes on. I was particularly pleased to see the recommitment of $339 million for the Oakajee project in Durack, which was very much welcome. We see a further $550 million committed to the Roads to Recovery and Black Spot programs, largely benefiting road safety in rural and regional areas.

Let's talk about health—something we have not heard much about this afternoon. Regional areas have also fared well from a health perspective, including an additional $6 million for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and an additional $35 million over two years for the General Practice Rural Incentives Program, which provides incentives for medical practitioners to work in underserviced rural, regional and remote areas. And there is more: another $13.4 million over three years to fund an additional 500 nursing and allied health scholarships—scholarships with a value of $30,000 each. These will target workforce shortages in rural and remote areas.

As I said yesterday, when I was speaking on the government's appropriation bills, regional areas are continually faced with a shortage of medical practitioners—

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