Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Like the Labor Party will in Batman, as they are already sucking up to the Greens. Regional Australia understands that voting in a Labor government also means a 50 per cent renewable energy target. That will destroy rural Australia. Energy costs for our rural producers will destroy—and we won't do that. We'll guarantee energy for our rural producers—our sugar farmers, our beef producers, our business people. Labor, sucking up to their Green mates, will not do that.

So what are we doing to have this great success in the regions? I'll tell you what we're doing. We are creating policies in relation to tax, infrastructure, trade and communications that support people in the regions. We're not crucifying them. When it comes to taxation and economic policy, we've introduced the Enterprise Tax Plan, where we are making it easier for regional small businesses. We're bringing the tax rate down to 27.5 per cent for those little cafes, little shops and corner stores in regional Australia. We're helping them, and we're giving them more money. Do you know what they'll do with that extra money? They'll grow their businesses. I know this is hard for the Labor Party to understand, but, when businesses grow, they employ more people—they employ more regional Australians. And that's how you grow the economy. And we are doing other things. We are introducing sensible policies like the $20,000 immediate depreciation on assets—what an eminently sensible idea—so that farmers can buy that piece of agricultural equipment and immediately depreciate it so that they have that money to invest back into their business, grow their business and employ people. Members opposite just don't know what I am talking about!

I will tell you what else we're doing to support regional Australians and regional business. Decentralisation is a wonderful concept—one I and the National Party fully support—but it's more than moving jobs out there; it's also building the infrastructure that encourages people to go to regional Australia. That's why we have a $75 billion infrastructure program that will deliver for regional Australia—like the $6.7 billion we're spending on the Bruce Highway to save lives. That's what we do. Recently I stood on the side of the highway with my leader, Barnaby Joyce, and spoke to him about saving lives. That's what he's interested in. He is interested in regional Australia. He is not interested in issues like the waste-of-time issues that the Labor Party are carrying on with at the moment—issues that Australians are not interested in. (Time expired)

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