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

I am quite pleased to talk about this fund, the National Stronger Regions Fund. In some regards, it is about moving the ledger back in favour of our contribution. Every year, people in the electorate of Mallee contribute $5.3 billion to the Australian economy. Now, I do not think it is unreasonable, given their significant contribution, for them to expect to be able to drive on a decent road. They should be able to make a mobile phone call—and I notice there is only one side of politics that have a Mobile Black Spot Program. They should have good educational opportunities for their children. They should know that when they go to the doctor they can, firstly, see a doctor and, secondly, be treated.

The National Stronger Regions Fund is working very well in our patch. We have delivered $10 million towards a $25 million upgrade of the Mildura runway. This has ensured we have air services that link Mildura to Sydney, to Adelaide, to Broken Hill and to Melbourne. There are 140 commercial flights a week, as well as the very important work that Air Ambulance and Angel Flight do out of Mildura.

We have $10 million towards the Grampians Peak Trail, a $28 million hiking path in one of the most beautiful parts of Victoria. This will drive tourism. There is another $1.5 million towards the underground particle-matter research lab in Stawell—high-end scientific research from universities across the world delivered as part of the National Stronger Regions Fund. There is $900,000 for sporting facilities at the South Mildura Football Netball Club, such as change rooms for our netballers and better courts, encouraging people to be more active more often in their sport.

There is $800,000 to upgrade Swan Hill Regional Livestock Exchange, our commitment to a strong red meat sector—in contrast, I have to say, to the opposition, who when in government shut down the live export industry, and we saw the tumbling of our returns from red meat. There is $900,000 for the Horsham children's hub, lifting parenting skills in one of the poorer regions of Horsham.

The party that I represent, the National Party, believe country people deserve a fair go, and it saddens me that for their $5.3 billion worth of contributions they do not get more services in the country, in this part of the world.

There is $600,000 for the Kaniva nature precinct, giving people who are travelling between Adelaide and Melbourne a reason to stop and see the beautiful flora and fauna that we have in our part of the world.

Country people deserve funding allocated to build infrastructure. Country people contribute so much and often ask so little. The two biggest sleeper issues that the Australian community is confronting at the moment are housing affordability and transport congestion—where people are getting frustrated and angry about waiting for trains that are full. I think investing in regional Australia is part of the answer if we are going to build an Australian society where people have (a) the opportunity to buy a house and (b) the freedom to live where they do not have to spend hours and hours commuting. Our National Stronger Regions Fund is delivering some of that infrastructure.

I find it quite ironic to hear members opposite come in here and criticise the fund but talk about the projects that they were able to deliver in their own electorates under this fund. That, to me, says this fund is being administered properly; the Auditor-General is overseeing the administration of this fund. It means that the rollout of funds in our regions has been on both sides of the political spectrum.

Really, this is the Australian people's money. It deserves to go back to the Australian people to build the society they want, and to recognise that regional Australia contributes to our electricity, our food, our natural gas, our iron ore and our coal, and to the Australian standard of living that we all enjoy. It is very reasonable that they have an allocated fund to build the infrastructure they need so they can have the quality of life that all Australians expect and demand.

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