Andrew Broad (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today, I rise to talk about The Nationals' job strategy for the township of Mildura. You know, governments do not create jobs; it is industry and small business that create jobs. It is the pursuits of individuals that create wealth, and it is our job to create the economic climate for this to occur. In Mildura, we have increased the gas pipeline capacity for small business. We are now spending $120 million modernising the irrigation infrastructure and we have found that we are able to enhance that construction to make sure that that modernisation goes further. We, the National Party, are committed to standardising and upgrading the Mildura railway line, and it is disappointing that the state Labor opposition, in the lead-up to the election, has not committed to this very important infrastructure project so we can take the products that we produce to the port and to the market.

The Australian government has stitched up the Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement, which will significantly assist the growers in my area. We anticipate table grapes will see additional exports of $40 million—and 75 per cent of table grapes are grown in the Mildura region, so that is an additional $30 million a year to our rural economy. Also, almonds, which have never had access into Korea, will now be exported there. This is all about the National Party delivering on its jobs growth strategy for Mildura, and I am very proud that, together with my state colleague Peter Crisp, we are able to deliver these good outcomes for this town.

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