Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

During my campaign, I was able to secure funding of $2 million for the construction of a grandstand and associated improvements to Boyer Oval, in the Derwent Valley, but of course only if Labor won the election. Now we all know the results. The coalition won by the barest of margins. But this is not about election results; this is about something more important. People's health and community needs should be at the front line for any politician. I want support and I am seeking support from those on the other side to reconsider this important project, and here is why.

This project is not just about a building. It is not just about improvements for a football club. It is about the heart and soul of a community. It is about social inclusion. In 2011, the Derwent Valley Council area scored 883.8 on the SEIFA index of advantage and disadvantage. The Derwent Valley has the equal fourth-highest rate of relative socioeconomic disadvantage in the state of Tasmania, which of course many would know is itself disadvantaged on the socioeconomic index in comparison to other states. Similarly, the index of economic resources and the index of education and occupation are well below the regional and state averages. The Derwent Valley is third lowest on the index of education and occupation in the state.

In the other chamber, there is an ongoing debate about how best we can arrest youth unemployment. We differ on those issues, but certainly it needs a lot of attention.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 16:20 to 17:02

I have been gagged in the other place, so I am going to change tack. Let's be clear: this 15 per cent backpacker tax represents a gross betrayal of Australia's farmers. The people left hanging from this dirty deal are farmers who need workers, and the businesses and service providers who look forward to backpacker wages being spent in their shops and hotels. Forget the politics and the chest-beating: this decision hurts farmers and regional communities, makes us uncompetitive internationally and heightens the risk of backpackers not coming to Australia to work on farms when they are needed most.

This is not a solution; it is a political fix to get you out of the headlines. You have betrayed regional workers, you have betrayed regional communities—

See this speech in context