Nick Champion (Wakefield, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Science) Share this | Hansard source

I hear a bit of feedback from up there. We all know that this is a government that has been divided against itself for so many years—a divided Liberal Party and now a divided National Party. They're divided on a couple of things. They're divided on their capacity to deliver for this country. They come in here and they always reduce rural Australia down to National Party seats. They don't want to talk about regional seats in South Australia, the Northern Territory, Western Australia or anywhere else.

The member for Cowper talks about telephone towers and mobile phone reception. My seat is in an area which was devastated by the Pinery fires. When I wrote to the Prime Minister and the minister about a mobile phone tower, guess what response I got?

Mr Rick Wilson interjecting—

Zero! I hear the member's interjection. He asked me about the South Australian government. Even in the second round, when the South Australian government did stump up some cash, guess what you provided? Zip, zero, in my seat; zip, zero, in the seat of Mayo. You only funded Liberal Party seats in South Australia. So don't talk to us about mobile phone coverage, because you're driven only by your own electoral prospects. That's the whole driver of the Liberal Party's or the National Party's approach to rural Australia. They just seem to get out the pork barrel—and it's a pretty limited pork barrel; it's a pork barrel that's only aimed at a seat at a time.

People in rural Australia need the same things that people in cities need. They need good roads, jobs, hospitals and good schools. I know because I've lived in country towns. I grew up in a country town. It's not that different to the city. People are always trying to make this difference. They need the services. They need the jobs. They need the schools. They need health. That's as simple as it gets.

Mr Tudge interjecting—

I hear the member at the box. He's interjecting in my speech, 'City boy!' But let's look at the record of the Abbott-Turnbull government. Investment in infrastructure has fallen by 17 per cent, and, in terms of roads, bridges, railway, ports and harbours, it has declined by 22 per cent in transport infrastructure. If we look at the underspend, on major road projects, it is 17 per cent. On major rail projects, it is 11 per cent. On northern Australian roads, it is 46 per cent. On the Bridges Renewal Program, it is 38 per cent. In terms of the Black Spot Program, which is very important in the country, there is an underspend of 33 per cent over the last four budgets. On the Northern Australia Beef Roads Program, it is 51 per cent.

Mr Tudge interjecting—

I hear the member opposite talking about everybody's sartorial splendour. That's not really the topic at hand. He's treating this like a joke. I can't blame him, because his National Party partners are a joke. We all know how concerned you are about them. You are held hostage to them and their whims and desires in terms of rural policy. You come in here and you're laughing about it, but it's no laughing matter.

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